Pleasantville to See Contested Village Board Election March 21
By Anna Young
For the first time in five years Pleasantville voters will have a choice in next month’s village board race.
Trustee Steven Lord will be joined on the ballot by former board member Jerry Lynch and first-time candidate Nicole Asquith in the Mar. 21 election for two open board seats. A fourth candidate, Lenny Balducci, Jr., also submitted his petition to the village clerk’s office by the Feb. 14 deadline but announced last weekend he is withdrawing his name from consideration. It was not known whether his name will be on the ballot.
Lord, 48, who will be running for his second term, said he is excited to continue his work as the Master Plan enters the implementation phase. He said there’s a lot more to do during the next three years.
“We potentially will have an assisted living facility and that’s something I know my way around,” said Lord, a longtime business consultant at The Strategist Group. “Stability in a second term would allow the continuation of a lot of stuff that will have an impact on the village.”
Lynch, 59, a 26-year Pleasantville resident and longtime accountant,has remained active locally and on the county level since leaving the board at the end of his second term in 2002. He served on the village’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board for several years and is now chairman of the Westchester County Planning Board.
Lynch also volunteers for the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), Dad’s Club of Pleasantville and the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO).
If elected, Lynch said his background as an accountant will be a valuable asset to the village, particularly with respect to taxes and budgeting. He also hopes to improve communication between the village and its residents.
Lord and Asquith agree that a lot more can be done to improve transparency and communication.
Asquith, 46, a two-year Pleasantville resident and stay-at-home mom, hopes to play a vital role as the village moves forward with the Master Plan. She said she would like to work toward creating a more vibrant downtown while preserving the character and feel of the village.
She would also encourage more residents to participate in village meetings. Many residents aren’t aware that the board meets on a regular basis.
“In my previous line of work as an academic, I learned to approach challenges with an open mind, to research, analyze and collaborate with others to come up with creative solutions,” Asquith said. “That’s what I hope to do if I’m elected to the board of trustees.”
While Asquith has no prior background in public service, she is the co-founder and Environmental Committee chair for Indivisible Pleasantville, a local grassroots group that formed following the presidential election. She is also a member of the Pleasantville Garden Club and volunteers at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve and Bedford Road School, serving on the Nutrition Committee and as the first-grade representative for the school garden.
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