Events and Speakers (2024-25)

ANNUAL MEETING AND LUNCHEON

Topic: The State of Democracy
Featured Speaker: Congressman George Latimer*
~~Friday, May 2, 2025~~ Friday, May 9, 2025
10:30 am to 2 pm
(luncheon and speaker portion of event begins at noon)
Scarsdale Golf Club

PURCHASE TICKETS ($60/person early bird rate through May 2, 2025; student rate is $30)

*Speaker bio:

George Latimer, a third generation Westchester native, attended Mount Vernon public schools, graduated with a B.A. from Fordham University in the Bronx in 1974 and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner School in 1976. His public service career began in 1987 on the Rye City Council. In 1991, he was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, where he served for 13 years. In 2004, he was elected to the NYS Assembly, where he authored more than 20 new laws. Latimer was then elected to the NYS Senate in 2012, representing the 37th District.

Latimer took office as Westchester County Executive in January 2018 as the ninth County Executive. He was then re-elected to a second term as County Executive in November 2021, never losing an election after over three decades in public office. During his tenure as County Executive, Latimer upheld an impressive record of achievements, including three consecutive County property tax cuts and credit rating stabilization. He was also responsible for bringing several long-standing infrastructure projects to fruition, including the historic Elijah J. Miller House, Sprain Ridge Pool, New Rochelle Family Court and the North and South County Trailways. Latimer also worked to electrify the County’s Bee-Line Bus Fleet and modernize all County facilities for a green future.

In November 2024, Latimer was elected to represent Congressional District 16 in the U.S. House of Representatives and began serving his two-year term in January 2025.

Events from Earlier this Year

FALL MEMBERSHIP COFFEE

Saturday, September 21, 2024
2 pm to 4 pm
Scarsdale Public Library, Scott Room
Film Screening and Discussion with the Filmmakers of Undivide Us
Moderator: Valerie Abrahams, Former Editor-in-Chief of the Scarsdale Inquirer

Event is free and open to the public (league membership not required).
Light refreshments will be provided.
Registration is required.

The fall membership event, co-sponsored by Scarsdale Public Library, is a film screening and discussion with the filmmakers of the documentary Undivide Us, in a call for healthy national discourse during the 2024 national elections and beyond. Undivide Us challenges the idea that citizens who disagree are incapable of civil conversation and demonstrates the truth that, even in our differences, the American experiment is still alive and well. Rather than letting partisan divides fester, the documentary reminds us that our neighbors and fellow Americans can be a source of strength and aid: well-meaning, helpful in times of need, and dedicated to the success of the country.

Please add your name to the wait list if registration is full.

NEW YORK STATE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT EVENT

Topic: New York State Equal Rights Amendment (Proposal 1)
Featured Speaker: Jenna Lauter*
Policy Counsel at New York Civil Liberties Union
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
7 pm to 9 pm
Scarsdale Public Library, Scott Room

Event is free and open to the public (league membership not required).
Light refreshments will be provided.
RSVPs are appreciated for planning purposes.

RSVP for NYS ERA (Prop 1) Event

Prop 1 has the effect of cementing existing legal rights into the NYS Constitution, which currently prohibits race and religion based discrimination. The amendment expands coverage to include protections against discrimination by the government based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.

As we have witnessed on the national front, complacency is dangerous, and laws that we assumed were safe may change overnight with the political tides. Prop 1 is about ensuring that we New Yorkers, not politicians, control our healthcare decisions and personal futures.

Follow these links for more information on the NYS ERA (Proposal 1) that will appear on the back side of the November 5, 2024, general election ballot:

*Speaker bio:

Jenna Lauter is a Policy Counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union, where she focuses on issues related to reproductive rights and birth and family justice. She joined the NYCLU as an Equal Justice Works Fellow advocating against family separation and surveillance by the family regulation system (“child protective services”).

During law school, Lauter participated in the Community Advocacy Lab Clinic, where she researched and strategized to combat fees charged to incarcerated New Yorkers. She also interned with the Brennan Center for Justice, Mecklenburg Defenders, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, and the NYCLU. Prior to law school, Lauter worked for several years in government, politics, and advocacy at the city, state, and national levels. She is a graduate of Barnard College (’13) and Columbia Law School (’21).

FOOD FOR THOUGHT SPEAKER EVENT

Topic: Housing Shortage in Westchester County
Speaker Panel: Experts Concerning Land Use Law, Planning, Housing
Monday, November 18, 2024
11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Scarsdale Public Library, Scott Room

Event is free and open to the public (league membership not required). Light refreshments will be provided.

This panel discussion will examine the dearth of affordable housing in Westchester and its effects on seniors, young adults, and workers hoping to live near their jobs.

Tiffany Zezula, Adjunct Professor, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Pace University

Moderator Tiffany Zezula, Esq. is the Deputy Director for the Land Use Law Center at Pace University School of Law in White Plains. She is also a staff consultant for the Housing Action Council. She is the primary trainer and national coordinator for the Center’s Land Use Leadership Alliance Training program for local officials, environmentalists, religious leaders, planners, and developers.

Rosemarie Noonan, Executive Director of Housing Action Council

Panelists are Terry Fleischman, the Director of Housing from the Westchester County Department of Planning and Rose Noonan, Executive Director of Housing Action Council. Panelists are associated with the Welcome Home Westchester campaign, a multi-stakeholder advocacy effort consisting of business and nonprofit leaders, companies involved in home building and the development of housing, academics, think tanks, anti-homelessness advocates, climate activists, faith leaders, and community advocates working together to drive a new public conversation around fixing the housing shortage in Westchester County.

RSVP for Food for Thought Speaker Event on Housing Shortage in Westchester County