Who They Are: Profiles of Our Elected
Officials
This week: Village of Larchmont Trustee Marlene
Kolbert
Other Profiles
by Paula Eisenberg
Marlene Kolbert, Village of Larchmont
Trustee
(November 19, 2002) It's a long way from Hitler's Berlin
to the leafy streets of Larchmont, and Marlene Kolbert
doesn't take anything about the journey for granted.
A Village of Larchmont Trustee, Ms. Kolbert took time
on a soggy November afternoon to chat with the Gazette
about her accomplishments and her goals.
"My parents had the good sense to flee Germany
in 1938," she remembered. The family emigrated
to New York, and young Marlene grew up in Flushing,
Queens, later going off to college at Oberlin. She married
and worked to put her husband through medical school
and further training, had two children, and in 1966,
the family moved from Riverdale to Larchmont. Right
away, Kolbert got involved in school volunteering, serving
as Chatsworth PTA president from 1969-71. Stints as
president of the League of Women Voters and president
of the PT Council followed, and she served on the Mamaroneck
School Board from 1978-84, the last four years as president.
"Those were tumultuous years," she recalled.
"The schools were just bursting, including 900
kids at Chatsworth, and we had lots of curriculum conflicts
between those who wanted 'open classrooms' and those
who wanted tradtitional teaching. And we had a $9 million
bond issue, and buildings that weren't in great shape.
But it was an education for me, like getting a master's
degree in government." She took a break from elective
office between 1984 and 2002, serving on various Village
commissions and on the not-for-profit Center for Continuing
Education board.
Why did she decide to give up her tranquil life for
a Village Board run? "When (former Mayor) Cheryl
Lewy left office, I thought I would enjoy serving with
Ned Benton on the Board and Anne McAndrews as the new
mayor, so I ran. I wanted to put all my years of community
experience to work." Things didn't turn out as
she'd hoped, since Benton lost his bid for re-election
and McAndrews was defeated in her mayoral run, losing
her Trustee seat in the process. Kolbert is now the
lone Democrat on the Village Board.
Kolbert, who served on the Larchmont 2020 Task Force,
is glad the current administration has continued to
work on implementing the 2020 themes. Larchmont needs
more open space, according to Kolbert, along with business
district improvements, a close look at regulations on
zoning, and a tri-municipal technology committee.
Open space, in fact, is one of Kolbert's pet projects.
She was instrumental in the effort to prevent commercial
development of David's Island in the 1990's, and she
sees a consensus in Larchmont to try to preserve what
little open space still exists within the Village.
Another thing Larchmont needs, Kolbert thinks, is a
comprehensive tree ordinance. "One thing visitors
always say about Larchmont is how beautiful our canopy
of trees is. We need an ordinance to control what happens
to trees on private property, not just on Village property."
She would also like to see more waterfront access for
local residents, and more grass-roots involvement in
local governance. "I'm saddened that so few people
show up at Village Board meetings. People really should
come to the work sessions too, to really learn about
what's going on. We really want to hear from people,"
she said.
What else would she like to see happening in Larchmont?
"I'd love to see more people out walking! Everybody's
in such a hurry, and we should all try to slow down
a bit," she said, a bit wistfully. "We'd like
to get people to use the free weekend parking at the
train station, for instance, and maybe we'll even try
a shopping jitney for the holidays. Anything to get
some of the cars out of the main shopping areas."
Kolbert is currently working on streetscape improvement
grant proposals aimed at raising the quality of life
for residents in the Palmer Avenue and Post Road business
districts. She is liaison to the Committee on the Arts,
working with chairperson Nili Asherie to bring the New
Rochelle Opera to Flint Park next summer.
When not attending to Village business, Kolbert loves
to read, swim (at the Hommocks pool), take care of her
grandchildren, and travel. "I love Africa,"
she said. "It's the most seductive continent. The
climate is so wonderful, and even the air is soft. I
really can't get enough of the place." Kolbert
also loves the famously tough New York Times crossword
puzzles. She even finishes them.
We have contacted all of the elected leaders in the
Village and the Town, and the profiles will appear in
the order in which the interviews were conducted. Check
back frequently for more profiles.
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