Editor's Note: With elections for Mamaroneck Village Mayor, Mamaroneck Village Trustee and two seats on the Mamaroneck Town Council a week away, Patch will be running the candidate profiles that were originally posted on the site over the summer.  Let us know what you think in the comments section below. 

Phyllis Wittner and Seth Marcus have recently announced their candidacies for the Mamaroneck Town Board. Pertinent issues in the upcoming November elections revolve around the budget and the impending property revaluation in the town. With less revenue due to a combination of economic uncertainty and declining property values, the town—like many municipalities—will need to create a plan to maintain basic services and infrastructure projects. Both candidates see development in the town as extremely important, and seek to maintain a high level of public services through challenging times. Wittner and Marcus both also see bipartisan community solutions as essential.

David Fishman, a Democrat, is also technically on the ballot, although he has announced that he does not plan to run. There are two board seats that will be up for contest this November, and the Democrats tapped Fishman to run as a “placeholder,” while they look for another candidate. They have not yet announced whom they plan to run.

Phyllis Wittner moved to Larchmont after graduating from the University of Vermont with a dual degree in commerce and economics. She began her work for the Town of Mamaroneck as a volunteer—first within the schools—and later for the Boy Scouts and the Coastal Zone Management Commission (CZMC). Working full-time in marketing, she became very involved in local environmental protection issues, eventually working with many local and inter-municipal groups, including the Westchester County's Nonpoint Source Pollution Committee and the Soil and Water Board.

A Democrat, Wittner has served on the town board for 12 years and also currently serves as the chair of the Long Island Sound Watershed Inter-Municipal Council. One of her priorities while serving in public office has been to ensure that local development in the Town of Mamaroneck happens in an environmentally sustainable way, and that outdoor spaces are preserved and protected.

What first interested you in local politics, and what made you decide to run?

I’ve never been interested in local "politics.” My interest was and is local government. I began as a dedicated volunteer interested in the conservation and preservation of our natural resources. This was recognized by then Supervisor Elaine Price who convinced me to run for office. In subsequent years, I was happy to run again because our town boards have been perspicacious, diligent, and productive.

What do you see as your greatest achievement while serving on the town board?

I have been able to research and write grants that brought in over $2.7 million. This has enabled us to do beneficial, much needed, environmental projects and work on intermunicipal projects as well.

What do you see as the most important issue that was faced by the board this year?

The decision to go forward with property revaluation.

Looking ahead, what priorities do you expect the board to be working on in the year to come?

Budget will continue to be the main concern especially if the two percent tax cap is passed. Large, quality of life decisions will have to be made. Even without the mandated cap in the interest of keeping taxes down, we will have decisions to make regarding infrastructure and services to our residents.

Seth Marcus has lived in Mamaroneck since 1997; he is a business and real estate lawyer at NYC-based Leffler, Marcus & McCaffrey LLC, a firm he co-founded. Marcus attended Colgate University and the George Washington University School of Law.  He currently serves on the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Little League board, the Town of Mamaroneck Zoning Board of Appeals, and is active with local bar associations in Mamaroneck, Larchmont and Harrison.

Marcus, a Republican, believes that the Town of Mamaroneck would benefit from leaders with a strong sense of business; he sees the economic issues as being key and seeks to maintain a high level of service while still keeping taxes low, placing a very high importance on finding bipartisan solutions.

What made you decide to run?

Mamaroneck has been a great place to raise a family and I would like to do my part in ensuring that it continues to be a great place to raise a family.

What skills, ideas and experience will you bring to the town board?

As the managing partner of a small law firm and a litigator I have learned how to work through complicated problems in an environment that is often difficult. I think both my business sense and the ability to build consensus positions from differing views will allow me to help solve the problems that come before the Board.

What do you see as the issue of most concern in Mamaroneck right now?

The budget. Like many other towns in Westchester, the Town of Mamaroneck is facing steep projected increases in expenses and flat revenues. The biggest challenge the Board is going to face in the coming years is how it is going to maintain the high quality services our residents have come to expect.