Photos by N. Bower

By Staff`

Mar. 6, 2025: The Bronxville village election will be held on Tuesday, March 18, from 6 AM to 9 PM.

Polling Locations

The polling locations are as follows:

Bronxville Village Hall, 200 Pondfield Road - Districts 16 & 17

Bronxville Firehouse, 20 Midland Avenue, Districts 18, 19 & 21

Christ Church Bronxville, 18 Kensington Road - Districts 20 & 22

Who's Running?

The following individuals are running in this election.

For Mayor - Vote for 1

Mayor Mary Marvin, Republican & Bronxville Citizens for Responsible Government, is running unopposed for Mayor (two-year term).

Trustee - Vote for 2

There are three candidates running for two seats on the Village Board of Trustees.  The candidates are:

Current Trustee William C. Fredericks, Democratic & Bronxville Now

Current Trustee Robert Underhill, Republican & Bronxville Citizens for Responsible Government,

Vanessa C. O'Friel, Democratic & Bronxville Now

About the Candidates

Mary Marvin

Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin grew up in Watervliet, a small town in Albany County. Watervliet is rich in history dating back to Henry Hudson's arrival in the 1600s.  It was incorporated in 1896, has a population of just over 10,000, and is about 1.5 miles square.  Her mother was a teacher, and everyone knew her. Her father was the local doctor. She and her sister walked to school and stopped by the candy store on the way home. They knew the shopkeepers and the shopkeepers knew them.  It's in Watervliet that Mary first gained an appreciation for living in a small community.

Mary graduated from the local high school and went on to Wellesley College. Mary was always interested in history and politics and when she was a senior in high school, she worked in the office of New York Governor Nelsen Rockefeller during the summer and winter break. She also worked for Rockefeller when he was Vice President under President Gerald Ford.  She worked on his legal team, and her boss was Dick Parsons, who years later became Chairman of Citigroup and CEO of Time Warner. This experience piqued Mary's interest in government and the law.  

After college, Mary got her law degree at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and went on to practice law at several firms. She also married and had two children, Caroline and Brad.

The Marvins moved to Bronxville in 1989. Caroline went to the Bronxville School and then onto Andover and Yale.  She is currently the academic dean of the Columbia University College of General Studies. Brad graduated from the Bronxville School and then on to the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. He is currently head of the mortgage-backed securities desk at Deutsche Bank and is married to an attorney practicing at Cleary Gottleib in New York City.

Not surprisingly, upon moving to Bronxville, Mary immersed herself in the community. She took leadership roles at the Eliza Corwin Frost School, the Bronxville School, the Bronxville School Foundation, the Bronxville Adult School, Bronxville Seniors and friends of Concordia College among others. She joined the village zoning board, which was seeking both a lawyer and gender balance, became a village trustee, and then onto her current role as Mayor.

Mary says that her legal experience had proved immensely helpful in her role as Mayor.  It has allowed her to see village challenges from different perspectives and anticipate what problems may arise. One of her favorite things about the job is that she meets people from all different age groups. "Second graders come over every year," she says.  She also loves the work environment.  The village staff is "some of the finest people I know," she says, "and the work environment is A+."

When asked why she is running, she said because she "would love to finish some projects."  Some of the issues that are important to here right now on the Village's walkability initiatives, as well as downtown sustainability and revitalization.

When asked what she was most proud of, she said that she is proud of how the village board "listened to residents who answered questions in the village's comprehensive study."  She notes that in the past two years, the village has "updated parks, collaborated with the school on plantings, upgraded intersections especially in the business district, worked seamlessly with Iona with the goal of keeping the connections between every age group in the village."  She is also proud that the village has "maintained the highest bond rating possible." She says it's all possible because the residents of Bronxville are the "kindest, most generous, and most caring people."

Looking ahead, Marvin says that she doesn't see major changes but rather "some tinkering at the edges to keep what we have updated beautiful as well as staying on great financial footing."

Finally, Marvin says. "This job has given me so much more than I have given it as I have learned so much as to how to be kind, tolerant, listen to understand and how to disagree with civility, and it has been an extraordinary ride to live and volunteer for a place that you love."

Bob Underhill

Bronxville Trustee and Deputy Mayor, Robert Stout Underhill, grew up in Weston, Massachusetts, but it seems like he was destined to live in Bronxville.

His great grandfather on his mother's side, William van Duzer Lawrence, founded Sarah Lawrence College in 1926 and Lawrence Hospital in 1909 and played a significant role in the development of Bronxville. His mother, Rebecca Jane Stout, grew up in Bronxville and married John Underhill at Christ Church Bronxville in 1953.

Bob came to Bronxville often during his youth to visit his grandmother and cousins. Still, it wasn't until he met Bronxville graduate Sarah Mollmon in 1983 through his Bronxville godfather, Andrew Hart, that his path to Bronxville began to unfold.

Bob and Sarah were living in Chicago when they met.  They were both in school at Northwestern University.  Bob was in the business school and Sarah was getting her masters in art history. They married in 1988, lived in Chicago, moved to London, and then finally to Bronxville in 1993. Their two children, Molly, 28, and Sam, 25, attended the Bronxville School through 8th grade , then Taft and on to college.

Bob, a finance and real estate professional, and Sarah immersed themselves in the Bronxville community. Bob served on the Board of Sarah Lawrence College for 12 years, became a Trustee of the Village in 2005, and then Deputy Mayor in 2011.  He also serves as a trustee of the Princeton Theological Seminary and as the Board Chair of The Opus Group, a Minneapolis-based construction company and real estate development firm operating throughout the central US.

His real estate experience has proved extremely helpful in guiding the village through two important projects in recent years - - the Villa BXV development and the refurbished Avalon parking lot. 

In 2020, Bob was also involved with the village's Police Community Relations Committee. In June of that year, Governor Cuomo signed an executive order requiring local police agencies "to develop a plan that reinvents and modernizes police strategies and programs in their community based on community input." Bob chaired Bronxville's committee, which included representatives from the community. The overarching conclusion was that the village has a diverse and "very good force" and that the village should undertake this kind of review regularly. 

Bob is running for reelection as Trustee on March 18, 2025. When asked why he is running and what he enjoys most about his work as Trustee and Deputy Mayor, Bob says he is running because "I love Bronxville and firmly believe that serving one's community is a very important role to play.  Furthermore, I believe that my commitment to the Village combined with my experience as trustee, can continue to make a difference to our community.

When asked what he is most proud of, Bob says, "the development of Villa BXV/Kensington Garage, and the acquisition, remediation and development of the Parkway Rd parking lot." He also mentioned that "most recently, the trustees have made major improvements to our downtown: the new configuration/signaling at Pondfield and Midland, the new Maltby Park, and the new curbing and traffic calming improvements to the east and west sides of our downtown (which will soon be paved)."  Bob also continues to play a very active role with the Bronxville police department.

Looking forward, Bob says that flood mitigation continues to be a key priority.  "The Village, with great effort from Jim Palmer, has done an enormous amount of work on studying the issues, designing potential solutions and working with surrounding communities.  There is a lot more that needs to be accomplished in this area."

 

Bob also notes that Bronxville enjoys a Moody's rating of Aaa and that "it is imperative to maintain our financial strength particularly in light of our "higher for longer" interest rate environment."

 

When asked what he enjoys most about being a Trustee, Bob says "There are two elements: first is the ability to work with some amazing people that I would not have otherwise been able to work with in my career in commercial real estate - this includes the staff at Village Hall, the Police Department and the DPW.  Secondly, is the gratification I feel in knowing that I have been able to make a difference in the quality of life in Bronxville."

 

Looking forward Bob says he is committed to continuing "to seek ways to improve the quality of life in Bronxville while not changing it.  I am firmly committed to a non-partisan Village government."

 

Bill Fredericks

Like many native Bronxvillians, Bill Fredericks found his way back to Bronxville after years away when he and his family were looking for the perfect place to settle.

Bill's parents moved to Bronxville in 1967. His father, J. Wayne Fredericks, had been in the state department during the Kennedy/Johnson administration and then took a senior job at the Ford Foundation in New York directing its Middle East and Africa programs. The Fredericks family moved to Bronxville at that time.

Bill attended the Bronxville School through 9th grade, then on to Exeter and Swarthmore College. Upon graduation from Swarthmore, Bill headed to Oxford, where he got his masters in international relations and then returned to New York to attend Columbia Law School.

In 1995, when Bill was an associate at Wilkie Farr & Gallagher in New York, he married Ivy Jo Lindstrom, a managing director in corporate finance at KPMG Peat Marwick. He and Ivy lived in New York City at the time and moved to Bronxville in 1998 when their first child, Charlotte, was a baby and their second Thomas was on the way. Bill is now with Scott & Scott, a midsize specialty litigation firm.

Bill says that one of Bronxville's great attractions is its green space, neighbors, and quiet streets. "Kids can ride bikes on most streets and not worry," he says. He also believes that many of the village's best attributes are not an accident but are the result of "the excellent village staff and people who are involved in the village through so many volunteer activities."

Bill is also on the board of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy and the Bronxville-Eastchester-Tuckahoe Nature Preserve.

As a longtime member and former chair of the Bronxville village zoning board, Bill has been one of these people. Bill initially joined the zoning board as its counsel and then moved into a full membership role. "Many people care about the character of the village," says Bill, "they have a vested interest in preserving the basic physical character of their neighborhoods from projects that may unduly conflict with, for example, the scale of existing homes." The zoning board focuses on these and other issues.

When asked why he is running again, Bill says he wants to continue to work on a number of projects in progress including a Tree Planting proposal.  He notes that in recent decades, "the Village has suffered a well-documented loss of tree canopy" and he would like the see the village "create a program that would incentivize local residents to apply to the Village to plant a new tree in the Village-owned “right of way” front of their property."  Bill says that replacing lost trees "is a smart thing to do at so many levels – we just need to get the ball rolling, give it some appropriate direction (eg focus on planting native trees), and ultimately make this a project that every neighborhood in the Village (and every resident, young or old) can get involved in"

In thinking about his time on the Board, Bill says that he thinks the current board has worked very effectively to get a lot done. "We’ve made tangible and visible improvements in traffic and pedestrian safety; we’ve hired more police; we’ve supported public-private partnerships to redo Maltby Park and playground and build the new library patio."

He noted that he took a "lead role in getting the Rt. 22 crosswalk done and in pushing for early enacted of the 25 mph speed limit."  He also took the lead in "amending several chunks of our zoning code to impose, for the first time, some real restrictions on “as-of-right” tear-downs, and to enact some other overdue zoning reforms."

Looking forward, Bill thinks that flooding issues will be "front and center for the Trustees for the next two years."  He also says that the Board needs to make time "to continue to make progress on environmental issues" such as various Tree ordinance option and etting a Village Tree Fund and a Tree Planting program launched.  Trustee Knapp has done a great job working with the Village Green Committee on a number of environmental issues, including looking at various Tree Ordinance options which I think will be coming before the board shortly, and I am optimistic about succeeding in getting a Village Tree Fund and Tree Planting program launched. He also notes that the ivillage has done a lot about walkability but there is more that they can do. 

In closing, Bill says that "We are all lucky to live in a place as special as Bronxville. As a trustee, you’re always very conscious of not wanting to upset those things that make Bronxville such a terrific place to live, but you also want to be open to, or even proactive, in addressing areas where  we can make things even better.  We have a lot of smart and caring residents, so I’d just add that one of the most important roles of a trustee is just to be a good listener.  We all have our own ideas, but I try to be a good listener, and all residents should know that they can always email trustees with their own thoughts and ideas through the Village website."       

Vanessa O’Friel

Vanessa O'Friel graduated from Georgetown University.  She then taught middle and high school science and math, first at the Buckley School and then at the Collegiate School, both in New York City. She also served as President of the Alumnae Board at Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City, and head of the Parents’ Association at St. Thomas More Play Group.

She and her husband, Jeremy, moved to Bronxville in 2015 with their four children.  Their two older boys graduated from Bronxville and now attend college.  Their two younger children are in the 6th and 11th grades at the Bronxville School.

Vanessa is not someone who sits on the sidelines. Since moving to Bronxville, she has been actively engaged in several organizations, including the Junior League, The Friends of the Bronxville Public Library, the BASC committee for the Elementary School PTA and the Girl Scouts.  She is also currently a member of the Board of Governors of the Bronxville Field Club and has volunteered as an evaluator for the Community Fund for the past five years. 

Vanessa is also a business owner. She owns and operates Prep Academy Tutors, which provides academic support for students in grades K-12 in Westchester and Connecticut. During the pandemic, her company played an important role working closely with students in "pods" and one-on-one to support learning during that challenging time.  The company continues to thrive.

Vanessa also currently serves as President of the Bronxville Chamber of Commerce.

If elected to the Village Board of Trustees, Vanessa will "work hard to support local business, with an eye to keeping streets safe and sidewalks respected."

She hopes to work with the Village Trustees "to support the charm of our Village’s shops and restaurants, to maintain the economic interests of our Village while doing the right thing for the environment, and to increase community involvement in local government."