It’s time for you, yes, every one of you, to find your citizen’s voice and speak up.

When you’re living through historic times, silence is not an option; retreating to a position of “I don’t want to talk about it,” “I’m afraid to talk about it,” or “I want you, not me, to talk about it,” is…to borrow a phrase, a cop-out.

Dick Hubert wrote two weeks ago: “Do you believe in political miracles? Or am I in political dreamland and kidding myself?”

While the column he wrote was pointed at Republican Leader Aldo Vitagliano, and I am not a Republican but a Conservative, I can soundly answer the question: yes. He is in a political dreamland and kidding himself.

I woke up this morning and realized I had to point out some politically correct information to respond to the Op-Ed about creating more polling places to make school budget and school board elections more accessible to Latinx citizens. From the most recent Village election canvass, look at the results in District 7—348 individuals are registered. I realize that voter purges are not undertaken in New York because we are such a progressive state. 

On Feb. 16, the Port Chester Board of Trustees and mayor voted 4-3 to pass a law that prohibits the display and sale of drug paraphernalia by retail establishments within the Village of Port Chester. This law is not only harmful to businesses in Port Chester—it is harmful to our community.

Attention, high school juniors (and their parents)! The League of Women Voters of Rye, Rye Brook and Port Chester (the “LWV”) will once again be awarding the Peter Larr Student Civic Achievement Award to a junior who lives in and attends high school in the City of Rye (including Holy Child), Villages of Rye Brook and Port Chester, or the Rye Neck section of the Town of Rye, in recognition of the student’s overall contributions to his or her school and community in the areas of civic engagement, advocacy, leadership or voter education. 

The Vaccine Hunt—we’re all in this together, right? 

Thank you for entrusting me with the responsibility of serving you the past three years as a trustee and as the current Vice President of the Blind Brook Board of Education. As I noted at this past Tuesday’s meeting, I write to formally announce that I am seeking reelection this May to a second three-year term.

I am excited to announce my candidacy for a seat on the Blind Brook Board of Education. I have lived in Rye Brook for the past seven years with my wife and our three daughters. And as of this September, I will have the benefit of having one child in each of our three terrific schools. 

There’s a new D.A. in Westchester County, and she’s bringing change to the D.A.’s Office, to the local police departments and the town and city courts (let alone the County courts) with whom the D.A.’s office works, and she’s bringing “attitude” with a Capital A.

Three candidates are seeking the office of mayor of the Village of Port Chester on Tuesday, Mar. 16, giving voters a healthy choice at a time of flux in the municipality. The fact that one of them is running strictly on an independent rather than a major party line is also unusual. I only recall that transpiring once before in my three decades at the Westmore News when Goldie Solomon sought the position as a candidate on the Common Sense Party line.

I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Angelo Forta for his heartfelt letter to the Westmore News last week. I want to thank Mr. Forta for putting forth his views because I am hopeful that he and others will join me to establish a respectful community-wide conversation on the state of our village of which our diversity is clearly a central point.