Hagadus to Run for Pleasantville Village Board Seat in March

Longtime Pleasantville resident Francesca Hagadus will be on the ballot for Village Board trustee in the election in March, the second consecutive year in which she is running for a seat on the board.

Hagadus will appear on the Good Government Party line in the nonpartisan village election. Current Trustee Michael Peppard announced last month he will step away from the board after serving one term. Meanwhile, incumbent Trustee David Vinjamuri is running for re-election.

Hagadus ran for village trustee last year when incumbents Nicole Asquith and Paul Alvarez successfully held onto their seats.

Hagadus said she likes and respects the work the current Village Board has done, and should she be elected, her relationship with village and town residents would be a great advantage.

“I know people on many levels of government and can draw on them for advice and expertise and who can mentor me and keep me open to new ideas as well,” she said.

Generating more public interest in the Village Board and what it does is something Hagadus would like to see promoted. That the majority of Pleasantville residents don’t vote in the village elections is another concern for Hagadus.

“We have to publicize the election more and get lawn signs up, otherwise people don’t know there’s an election.”

“When the plastic bag ban was an issue, the board meeting was packed,” Hagadus added. “What can we do to hear from more members of the community? Although considerable effort has been made with the village newsletter, communication is not as good as I’d like it to be. Perhaps we can print a quarterly newsletter and send to those who sign up online to receive it.”

Hagadus has lived in Pleasantville since 1993 and she raised two sons there. In 2018, she won a seat on the Mount Pleasant Town Board in a special election, filling the last year of an unexpired term to become the first Democrat on the Town Board in three decades. She lost her bid to hold onto that seat the following year and lost again in 2021.

A retired French and Spanish teacher in Chappaqua, Hagadus now teaches both languages at a middle school in Hastings-on-Hudson.

Traffic tie-ups, especially around Bedford Road, Broadway and Church Street, are a big problem that needs to be resolved, she said.

“The reality is with no left or right turn lane from Church Street to Broadway, traffic is backed up all the way to Bear Ridge Road,” Hagadus said. “And this is all times of day, not just at school opening and closing times. There’s got to be a way that involves easements to create turn lanes. No one should be sitting there waiting to turn while they are stuck behind a car or bus.”

Replacing the village pool is necessary but has presented hurdles for the village, Hagadus noted.

“Every municipality needs a pool. My kids went to the Pleasantville pool throughout the summer,” Hagadus said. “But now that the 100-year flood reared its ugly head in Nannahagen Park, the board is doing their best in a very difficult situation. A plan needs to be thought out for what might happen in 30 years.”

One of the best events of the year for Hagadus is the Pleasantville Music Festival because it brings the community together.

“The strength of the festival is the opportunity to volunteer and be part of the community,” she said. “It’s not always about the money.”

As far as raising more festival revenue, Hagadus supports the recently-floated idea of a VIP section and believes more vendors need to be added, including local businesses.

For Hagadus, maintaining a vibrant downtown is key.

“Retail can only go so far, especially with all the online outlets,” Hagadus mentioned. “Places like the Gordon Parks (Foundation) Gallery and Super Awesome Artland! and the new Stretch Lab draw more foot traffic. I’d also like to see more exhibition galleries.”

Although Hagadus is the vice chair of the Mount Pleasant Democratic Committee, she said she appreciates that candidates for the Village Board run without major party labels.

“It doesn’t matter what the other board members’ parties are, what’s important is the board is non-divisive,” she said. “If we keep in mind the good of the village, that’s all that matters.”

Also running for re-election for a sixth term as mayor will be Peter Scherer. All seats carry three-year terms. Village elections will be held on Tuesday, Mar. 19.

Independent nominating petitions are available through the Westchester County Board of Elections at www.citizenparticipation.westchestergov.com/run-for-office, and must be signed by Feb. 13. Anyone interested in running may also contact the Village Administrator at 914-769-1940 or administrator@pleasantville-ny.gov.