By Linnet Tse
On Tuesday, August 25, at a special Zoom session co-hosted by the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit and LMC Media, Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Tom Murphy, Mamaroneck Town Supervisor Nancy Seligson, and Village of Larchmont Deputy Mayor Carol Casazza Herman, standing in for Mayor Lorraine Walsh, provided an update on our communities. They reviewed the impact of and response to the pandemic, discussed challenges that our communities are facing and previewed key initiatives that are underway.
IMPACT OF PANDEMIC AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Acknowledging that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on many of our residents and local businesses, Murphy, Seligson, and Herman all emphasized that despite the many challenges, all three municipalities have worked creatively in order to continue providing residents with government services throughout the pandemic. Services continued without interruption although they had to be delivered in different ways to keep residents and municipal employees safe. All three leaders highly praised first responders and municipal workers for their heroic efforts during this crisis.
Especially during the height of the pandemic, good communication was key to enabling our municipal leaders to respond effectively to the State and County directives. Leaders participated in thrice-weekly conference calls with Westchester County Executive George Latimer and weekly NYS calls and in turn routinely updated residents using robocalls.
Residents in the Village of Mamaroneck have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic. Mayor Tom Murphy pointed out, “this pandemic has affected the people with the least resources the most.” He shared that there have been issues with food insecurity in the Village of Mamaroneck and he anticipates rent and eviction issues will soon follow. Throughout the three municipalities, overall morale has been a challenge.
BRIGHT SPOTS
Leaders for all three municipalities have worked hard to make life a little easier for residents, including suspending parking regulations in certain areas and banning leaf blowing ahead of schedule. Swings are being installed in the Village of Mamaroneck’s Columbus Park. And, while the popular municipal day camps had to be cancelled, ingenuity and persistence resulted in alternative virtual and in-person programs being offered by both the Town of Mamaroneck and the Village of Larchmont. The Hommocks Pool has been able to open through use of a reservation system.
One high point has been Al Fresco Larchmont, the very popular outdoor dining initiative in the Village of Larchmont. Using parking areas and concrete barriers stenciled with the Al Fresco Larchmont logo to provide extended outdoor seating space, it has created a European street café feel to both the Palmer and Post business districts and has been very well received by local businesses and residents. Herman shared that they hope it can run through at least Halloween, if not longer, depending on the weather. Outdoor dining can also be found along Mamaroneck Avenue in the Village of Mamaroneck.
Community members have also come together to support residents and local businesses in a number of ways. Volunteers from the Hunger Task Force and Coalition for Community joined forces to provide bags of food to nearly 800 residents weekly on Tuesdays in the Village of Mamaroneck. In the Village of Larchmont, not-for-profit One Larchmont Inc. collected donations from residents to assist the business community; they provided small grants to small businesses that could not operate during the shutdown and helped restaurants purchase tables, benches, and umbrellas for outdoor dining.
CHALLENGES/LOOKING AHEAD
In addition to dealing with the everyday impact of the pandemic, all three municipalities are wrestling with the impact of the pandemic on their budgets. Murphy shared that the Village of Mamaroneck has already cut their budget by about $2.5 million to keep tax increases to a minimum. All three are deferring capital projects, delaying hiring and watching expenses very carefully.
All three municipal leaders mentioned the importance of addressing racial equality and the Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities. In the Town of Mamaroneck, Seligson shared that Councilman Jeff King is leading a task force on racial equality with five members of the community. The task force’s efforts will include working with the Town’s police department to review police procedures. Conversations with police departments have also begun in the Villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck.
