Mayor Liz Feld Says Goodbye to Larchmont

Tuesday was Election Night in Larchmont. And while that meant welcoming the newly elected officials, it also involved saying good-bye to the Village's current mayor, Liz Feld.

A longtime Larchmont resident and lifelong Republican, Feld was elected mayor in 2006 and re-elected two years later, receiving 251 votes in an uncontested election. Prior to that, she served as deputy mayor for three years and trustee for one. In her eight years of service, Feld has worked with a mostly Democratic Board, which included Democrats Marlene Kolbert, Anne McAndrews, Josh Mandell, Richard Ward and Jim Millstein, and Republicans Chris Verni and Michael Wiener.  

Feld ran unsuccessfully against Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck) in the New York State Senate race in 2008, and considered for a few months running for the U.S. Senate in the November elections. In January, she announced her decision not to challenge U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and, two weeks later, said she would not run for re-election in Larchmont.

"I believe in term limits, and the office of Mayor should be no exception," she told the Larchmont Republican Caucus in January."...it is time for me to make room for other, committed volunteers who are willing to step up and contribute their time and talents to the Village."

After announcing the election results on Tuesday, Feld recalled that her husband Joe often tells her it's frustrating to be married to someone who operates at two speeds, 0 and 100 m.p.h. "I've told him that I'd try to go around the speed limit but am not promising anything," she said. "I tend to do things at one extreme or the other, and being mayor has been one of those extremes."

During her farewell speech, Feld thanked a long list of Village employees and local and county officials, including the seven trustees she's served with since she joined the Board. "If the Village had to pay for the talent and expertise of these board members, we could never afford it," she said. "Thank you to all of you on behalf of my family, because we are residents too."

Feld stressed the importance of children having good role models when growing up so they can get involved and contribute to the life of the community. "I got involved in politics when I was 8 years old because my father was involved," she said. He was a firefighter, recalled Feld, ran campaigns for people who ran for office and then he ran for office himself and became mayor (Maurice Noyer was the mayor of Larchmont from 1976 1980). Her mother worked on the school board and the PTA, she said.

Feld asked locals to get involved in the process in any way possible, from writing letters to the paper to attending a board meeting to, "God forbid," joining a committee. "Speak up on an issue that's important to you," she said. "Just step up and maybe even run for office; it's what we need."

Looking back at the beginning of her political campaign, when she ran on a "people before politics" platform, and at her work with the Board in the last four years, Feld is most proud of having stayed true to her original pledge, she said. Being the only Republican on the Board, "we have all worked together to get things done for this Village and for that I am so proud," she said. "It is a privilege and an honor to serve as the mayor and I will treasure the experience and the education for the rest of my life."

Feld was followed by members of the Board, who by then had changed into different colored t-shirts with "Liz" printed on them. After thanking the Mayor for her service and dedication, they removed the shirts and gave them all to Feld, saying they were giving her the shirts off their backs. Mayor-elect Josh Mandell then announced that March 17 would be "Liz Feld Day," and they all proceeded to celebrate in the conference room, according to Village tradition.