Who They Are: Profiles of Our Elected Officials

This week: Village of Larchmont Trustee Liz Noyer Feld
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Larchmont Trustee Liz Noyer Feld

(December 10, 2002) Larchmont Village Hall. The White House. Larchmont Village Hall again. You could say Liz Noyer Feld has come full-circle. With a Larchmont political pedigree (her father was Mayor of Larchmont from 1976-80) and a job history full of famous, powerful names, she's wielding some power herself now, after being elected last March to the Larchmont Board of Trustees.

"I always loved campaigning for my father, unlike some of my siblings, who hid under the couch," Feld remembered with a laugh. After graduating from Mamaroneck High School, she went on to Georgetown, and even there, her focus was politics. She graduated with a degree in political theory in 1982, moving on to an administrative job at the White House with David Stockman, Director of the Budget. From there, she worked with Marlin Fitzwater, press secretary to Vice President George Bush.

What was it like to work in the White House? "I think I was too young to be as intimidated as I would be now," Feld said. "It was a huge thrill, though, going through security at the South Gate every day, and I never did get jaded about that. And it was a little overwhelming, working with all those incredibly committed people. I learned an awful lot about how government works."

One thing she learned was how money wends its way through government agencies, how it gets down to the level of a municipality. "Now I understand how the money gets distributed, what the people at the receiving end of grant applications are looking for." And once she took office in Larchmont, she started thinking about how the budget process could be streamlined.

"In the coming budget cycle, I'd like re-examine how the budget is put together, from the ground up, instead of just starting from where we were the previous year, adding or subtracting from there," she said, adding that Mayor Ken Bialo and other Trustees are also interested in this idea.

After her White House years, Feld was deputy campaign manager for Pete Dupont's brief presidential primary bid in 1988, and then she went to work for a lobbying firm in Washington. While there, she helped do crisis managment for indicted Wall Street junk bond king Michael Milken. "I seemed to always be right in the middle of whatever was happening. I'm lucky to have had a career so full of exciting and colorful characters," Feld said, with a rueful grin.

Then, against the advice of almost everybody, she took a job with independent candidate Ross Perot's campaign. "At the time he was still very credible," she said, "And in the summer of 1992, this was the place to be. I just took a chance." Ed Rollins, Perot's campaign manager, offered Feld the job of assistant press secretary. Eight days later, Perot dropped out of the race, leaving Feld jobless and facing "I told you so's" from most of her friends.

A job with the public relations division of ABC News came next, and then Feld moved to the children's cable channel Nickelodeon, rising to senior management at a time when the network was becoming a global entertainment company. She left Nickelodeon in 1996. Her next challenge was as a founder of the Million Mom March for gun control, in 1999, and she worked to get John McCain on the ballot for the New York GOP primary in 2000.

She and her husband moved to Larchmont in 2000, after living in Manhattan and on Long Island for several years. "It just felt like karma," she said. "I felt so at home here, and it's a great place to raise kids." She has three, ranging in age from 15 to 6. "My kids sometimes wonder why I work so hard at this (being a Trustee). It does take a lot of time," she said, "But Village residents have high expectations. We're a very responsive Board, and there's a tremendous amount of homework. But it's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done."

Working with Mayor Ken Bialo requires energy, Feld says. "Ken's a hard driver," she said. "I like to get a lot done in a short period of time, and Ken's the same way. He follows up and follows through on everything, so we get things resolved. Being mayor is a far more involved job than it was when my father was the mayor."

What issues are at the top of her to-do list?

"There's a perception that we have a 'McMansion' problem here," she said. "We're working with zoning consultants to see if this is just a perception or a reality. We should get that nailed down in the next four months or so." She is also concerned about the lack of affordable senior housing in Larchmont, wants to improve the business district, and continues her work as liaison to the zoning, traffic, architectural review and beautifcation committees.

She spends a lot of time these days as liaison to the Long Island Sound Watershed Inter-municipal Council, working on storm-water management issues.

"I'm very proud of how this Board has been so inclusive," she said. "We've brought in so many new people to volunteer on committees, and we have such a wealth of expertise in this Village. I've lived in a lot of places, and I've never seen this level of involvement among residents anywhere else."

Even important newspaper interviews can go on too long, and Feld's six-year-old son eventually demanded his share of her attention. Her long experience in both press relations and politics showing, Feld gracefully handled both reporter and constituent. One got M&M's, the other got a smile and a hand-shake. Both left satisfied.

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.