Mayor Levitt Flisser Reflects on Term's End

By any standards, Scarsdale mayor Miriam Levitt Flisser's attendance record is sterling.

Perfect, in fact.

"I've attended every village board meeting for the past six years—I haven't missed a single one," the politico said Thursday. "And I've attended every committee meeting [during that span], too."

Levitt Flisser has only helmed Scarsdale for the past two years, but the village resident—a pediatrician by trade—has had her hands in local government for the better half of a decade. She, along with her colleagues, serve on a volunteer basis and belong to a non-partisan party.

Come April, however, she will vacate her post as mayor, putting an end to her Ripken-like attendance record. Per an "unwritten law" in Scarsdale, says village clerk Donna Conkling, Scarsdale mayors never seek a second, two-year term.

Trustees are held to a similar tradition, and step down after four years, Conkling said.

It's a rule that Levitt Flisser says may be for the best.

"In Scarsdale, we have a large number of people who are poised to serve, and I don't think it hurts the village that they are moved through the process in an expiditious way," she said.

Still, the swift turnover of lawmakers can present issues, the current mayor noted.

"It makes it a little more difficult to complete projects," she said. "It might be easier for the completion of projects if mayor terms was three years instead of two."

And though Scarsdale politics are off the table, Levitt Flisser may stay involved on a broader level—"I was invited to run for the Westchester County Legislature seat vacated by Bill Ryan," she said.

"I have not made a decision about it yet," she added. "At this point, I'm the mayor of Scarsdale, and I need to see that out."

Elections for the new mayor and trustees are slated for March 19; Robert Steves is running for Levitt Flisser's seat uncontested. The official switch-over takes place the first week of April.

Reflecting on her time leading the village, Levitt Flisser touched on changes and legislation that she views as coups. She oversaw the replacement of the Ardsley Road water pumping station, bolstering Scarsdale's water pressure—and next up is the Reeves Nuwsom station, she added, which hasn't been overhauled since the '70s.

And in an era that housed devastating tempests like Irene and Sandy, preparing the village for dangerous squalls was key, Levitt Flisser said. She helped implement rain gardens around the region, and installed water basins in the Green Acres and Fox Meadow neighborhoods.

"This protects homes and the Bronx River [Parkway]," she said. "I'm proud of these projects."

Also on Levitt Flisser's resume is overseeing the construction of a new public safety building, and installing an emergency alert system able to reach any and all residents when necessary. Levitt Flisser worked on the latter project for three years.

"We sent out over 180,000 messages during Hurricane Sandy event—I recorded one every day," she noted.

One thing left to do, Levitt Flisser said, is tallying exactly how many meetings she attended.

"I'm going to work that out," she laughed.