Oct. 28, 2026

Dear Editor,

One of my favorite job interview questions is, "What's the one lie you believed when you took your last job?"

I ask it whether I'm interviewing someone or being interviewed myself. The answers are always revealing. Sometimes the lie was intentional. Other times, it was simply something everyone accepted as true without questioning it.

Which brings me to the upcoming vote on moving Bronxville's Village elections from March to November.

What's the one lie we're being asked to believe? That moving our elections will produce meaningful cost savings for Bronxville taxpayers or even Westchester County.

One letter supporting the change calculated Bronxville's share of the Westchester County Board of Elections budget at approximately $243,000 annually. Friends of Bronxville Elections has promoted the same argument.

Impressive number. Just one problem.

That's not the cost of holding our March election. And it's certainly not what we'd save by eliminating it.

The County still needs its employees, offices, equipment, and administrative infrastructure whether Bronxville votes in March or November.

So what does our election actually cost?

Based on the available expense figures and staffing assumptions:

-Poll workers: $11,900

-Voting machine transportation: $1,100

-Ballot printing: $1,969

-Christ Church polling location: $450

That's $15,419. Add incidentals and we're looking at an estimated $18,000 per election, subject to County confirmation.

Is that money? Of course. But it's a far cry from $243,000.

And here's the bigger question. How much of that $18,000 actually comes back to Bronxville taxpayers?

I previously joked that the supposed savings might buy everyone a meal at a Bronxville deli. Now we're down to roughly $3 per resident, barely the price of a Coke. And that's assuming every dollar disappears.

Other Westchester villages have already moved their elections. Has anyone examined how much the County actually saved? Did its budget decrease? Did taxpayers see any benefit?

I'd love to see that analysis.

I've spent much of my career reviewing budgets and looking for efficiencies. There's a big difference between allocating overhead and identifying expenses that actually go away.

If I'd presented allocated overhead as actual cost savings in a budget review, that kind of math would have gotten me fired.

But the financial argument is only part of this debate.

Moving elections to November may bring more people to the polls. But that doesn't necessarily mean more people voting for Village Trustees. Voters routinely skip smaller races farther down the ballot, something known as ballot roll-off.

And what about independent candidates? As someone who's run for an unpaid Village position, I know how much work is involved. Will moving our elections into a longer, more partisan election season make it harder for ordinary residents to run without the backing of a major party?

Then there's Albany.

Senate Bill S6245 would require villages holding November elections to conduct them in even-numbered years. The bill hasn't passed, but it's already been introduced.

What happens to Bronxville's staggered terms, which provide continuity and allow newly elected Trustees to learn from experienced colleagues?

We're being asked to change our election date while Albany is considering legislation that could change it again.

And while we're questioning assumptions, let's talk about the claim of nonpartisanship.

Friends of Bronxville Elections describes itself as a nonpartisan movement. But shouldn't we examine who's financing the effort, who's supporting it, and whether its proposed changes make it easier or harder for independent candidates to participate?

Nonpartisanship should be demonstrated, not simply declared.

Convenience? I understand the argument. Higher turnout? Certainly worth discussing.

But meaningful taxpayer savings? Show me the numbers.

And let's not confuse more people voting in November with more people actually participating in Village elections, making informed choices or just following many of the posts I see for this November - Vote line A.

There's nothing wrong with debating a change. But taking something that's true, mixing it with assumptions that haven't been demonstrated, and presenting the entire argument as fact isn't a good way to make a decision.

Just because part of an argument is true doesn't make the entire argument true.

Which brings me back to my favorite interview question.

What's the one lie you believed?

Perhaps there are two worth questioning here: that moving our elections will deliver meaningful taxpayer savings, and that calling a movement nonpartisan makes it independent of party politics.

Wouldn't it be better to find out before making the decision rather than afterward?

I'm voting NO on Proposition 1, and I'll continue encouraging more Bronxville residents to participate in our March elections.

Sincerely,

Rob Deichert Jr.
Libertarian

Editor's note:  MyhometownBronxville does not fact-check statements in letters to the editor, and the opinions do not necessarily reflect the thinking of its staff. Its objective in publishing letters to the editor is to give air to diverse thoughts and opinions of residents in the community.