If the Clintons Came to Town

After almost 11 years in Chappaqua, Bill and Hillary Clinton may be relocating, leaving a $1.7 million 5,200 square foot, five-bedroom Dutch colonial on one acre, for an $11 million, 7,000 square foot, five-bedroom estate on 20 acres in Bedford Hills.

Clover Hill Farm is at 525 Harris Road, near rambling farmhouses on a leafy section of a road that is also home to the Taconic and Bedford Hills Correctional Facilities.

The listing agent for Clover Hill, Coldwell Banker's Mady Wengrover, did not return calls for comment, so we don't know how close they are to a contract.

But we can speculate on what it would be like if the Clintons came to town.

The Clintons gained a reputation as involved citizens in Chappaqua, and many residents reported friendly encounters, dubbed "Bill sightings."

(I ran into him at the restaurant Le Jardin du Roi in Chappaqua one evening last summer, sporting a black tee shirt and jeans, chatting up passers-by on the sidewalk. Friendly, indeed).

With Hillary spending much of her time in Washington and abroad, will Bill spend any time strolling in Bedford Village amidst the white 18th and 19th century buildings, perhaps grabbing coffee at the Village Green Deli?

Or will he frequent the more eclectic Bedford Hills hamlet, stopping by Table Local Market for organic goods, or pop into the next pancake breakfast at the Bedford Hills Fire Department, as he was known to do in Chappaqua?

I asked residents what they thought about the former first family moving to town.

Some were totally unfazed.

"We'll treat him just like any other customer," said Tom Leggio, manager of the Bagel Shoppe in Katonah. "All of our customers are special and he will be no different."

Hmm. In a town that other A-listers like Martha Stewart, Richard Gere, Ralph Lauren and Chevy Chase call home, maybe folks are used to seeing celebrity.

Or maybe not.

"If Bill Clinton walked in here, I'd probably have a heart attack," said Tanya Baradji, who works at the Perennial Chef in Bedford Hills. Her co-worker, Rochelle Shaw, who had also served him at a previous job in Chappaqua, said she'd welcome him because he was "the most down-to-earth person."

Although daughter Chelsea's upcoming wedding to investment banker Marc Mezvinsky will not be held in Bedford—she recently announced that her wedding will take place in Rhinebeck, NY, some thought local businesses might benefit from a Clintonian influence.

Trip Brosmith, a real estate broker with Prudential Holmes and Kennedy in Katonah, wouldn't reveal what she knew about the deal, but she did say that, barring an influx of black SUV's filled with secret service agents, she saw no negative to them coming to town.

"People have been saying they're worried about traffic or security, but it could be good for businesses, and for home sales," she said.

The Clintons may also be at home in a town that has recently shifted to include more Democrats in power. Though historically Bedford has been controlled by Republicans--the party swept local elections in 2009--now two of the four town board members, one of the town Justices and Bedford's representative in the county legislature are Democrats.

Town board member Christopher Burdick said he'd be pleased to see the Clintons move here, and fellow Democrat David Gabrielson agreed.

In an email to Patch, Gabrielson said that Clinton's local jaunts could be good for local businesses, and for his party. "Maybe we can get them involved on a local level—we're pretty energized already with the important federal and state elections this fall," he said.

Across the aisle, Don Scott, a local Republican who's an active civic participant around town, said that in addition to hearing that the President and Mrs. Clinton are delightful people and warm neighbors, Clinton's record in the White House made him seem like a fiscal conservative compared to today.

"Maybe I can engineer a switch of party registrations since the GOP is better aligned with fiscal restraint," he said.

Clover Hill Farm is still active on multiple listing services and the Clintons have made no announcement about a move.