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The Rye Record •

City Manager Proposes Override Budget, Hikes Tax Rate 8.43%

The city manager introduced his 2026 budget proposal Wednesday night that would raise property taxes by 8.43 percent and surpass the state tax cap without adding any staffing to the work force. 


The $54.5 million spending plan, presented by Interim City Manager Brian Shea to the City Council, represents a roughly $5.2 million increase over the current $49.3 million budget. The change would cost the average homeowner about $443 more per year — or roughly $37 each month — based on a home valued...
The Rye Record •

Rye Democratic Ticket Sweeps Election, Takes Newly Aligned Majority on City Council

This article was updated on Nov. 5.


The Democratic City Council candidates pulled off a clean sweep at the polls, winning all three open seats — and with it, unified control of the council. 


Candidates Marion Anderson and Amy Kesavan rang up 19 percent of the vote and Ward 18 percent, according to unofficial results from the Westchester County Board of Elections. On the Republican slate, Robin Jovanovich received 15 percent, and James Fee and Maria Shuck 14 percent each. 


“It’s a great...
The Rye Record •

Nambiar Easily Fends Off Van Kuller in Increasingly Contentious Westchester Legislator Race

This article was updated on Nov. 5.


Democrat Anant Nambiar coasted to victory over Republican Kurt Van Kuller on Tuesday night to become Westchester’s 7th district representative on the county Board of Legislators.   


Returns showed Nambiar, a Larchmont Democrat, with 65 percent of the vote, according to unofficial tallies from the county Board of Elections. 


Van Kuller, from Rye, received only 35 percent of the vote. 


“I feel so privileged to be the choice and thankful to the voters...
The Rye Record •

Nathan Tops Henderson, McCabe in Unpredictable Mayoral Race

Democrat Josh Nathan was elected Rye’s new mayor on Tuesday night, winning an unusual three-way race that had its share of twists and turns. 


Meanwhile, the Democratic candidates for City Council — Marion Anderson, Amy Kesavan, and James Ward — pulled off a clean sweep, winning all three open seats — and firm Democratic control of the council. 


Nathan, 60, captured 48 percent of the vote, outpacing Republican Bill Henderson (30 percent), and independent Rick McCabe (22 percent), according...
The Rye Record •

Osborn Counselor Resigns Following Settlement of Abuse Lawsuit Against Rye School District

The Osborn Elementary School counselor who allegedly neglected to address sexual abuse accusations involving two second grade students has resigned from her position. 


Emma McCabe, 34, was accused in a lawsuit against the Rye City School District of mishandling a report of abuse from one of her students. The young girl told McCabe, according to the filing, that a male classmate in her second-grade Osborn School class had touched her inappropriately — months after alleged bullying began in Jun...
The Rye Record •

Early Voting Numbers in Rye Plummet to 30% of 2024 Turnout — Democratic Voters Nearly Double GOP

Less than 1,250 Rye residents voted ahead of Tuesday’s election — less than one-third of the number of early voters during last year’s presidential race.


Registered Democrats cast 611 votes during the early voting period between Oct. 25 and Nov. 2, nearly twice the number tallied by registered Republicans (329), according to the Westchester County Board of Elections.


Unaffiliated voters cast an additional 300 ballots.


The Board of Elections does not release the breakdown of early voting...
The Rye Record •

Major Rye Democratic Donor Has Federal Fraud Conviction, Long Trail of Lawsuits

A donor to Rye’s Democratic City Council slate was convicted on federal fraud charges for stealing confidential documents from a New York City company and continues to face legal troubles.


New Rochelle resident Rob Rubicco contributed $1,000 to the Democrats’ ticket — the maximum allowed — on Sept. 16, weeks after he settled a 2022 civil judgment for roughly $166,000 over a breach of contract.


Rubicco, 42, told The Record that he doesn’t have any ties to the Rye candidates, but he’s intere...
The Rye Record •

Rye GOP Slate Says Omission of Party Label Meant to Keep Focus Local

The Rye Republican candidates for mayor and city council have left off any mention of their party affiliation from their marketing and advertising, a move campaign leaders say is not meant to distance them from President Donald Trump but rather to reflect their focus on local politics.


The “All in 4 Rye” slate’s website and political advertisements that have run in The Record do not contain a reference to the Republican Party, and the same is true of their Instagram page — launched in early S...
The Rye Record •

Rye GOP Holds $31K Fundraising Cushion in Latest Campaign Filings

In the last campaign finance filings before Election Day, the Rye Republican ticket continued to maintain a decisive fundraising margin, more than doubling their Democratic counterparts, while also inching closer to the $60,000 threshold.


The GOP amassed a total of $58,341 in donations from 115 donors, according to the latest financial report filed with the state Board of Elections on Oct. 24. The total reflects an increase of $7,067 and 20 new donors since the Oct. 3 filing. The average cont...
The Rye Record •

Meet the Candidates: Rye’s Mayoral Contenders Talk City Issues With The Record

Rye mayoral candidates independent Rick McCabe, Republican Bill Henderson, and Democrat Josh Nathan sat down with The Record’s politics team for wide-ranging interviews. The discussions centered on topics of importance to the city and its taxpayers.   


The following transcripts of those interviews have been edited for length.  


Additional reporting by Christian Falcone and Jon Elsen.  


  


Development


Q: There are 48 municipalities in Westchester County. Just two of those communiti...
The Rye Record •

Mayoral Debate Reveals Divide Between Candidates

The apparent dynamic between political party-backed mayoral candidates Josh Nathan and Bill Henderson and independent Rick McCabe played out on the debate stage on Monday, echoing a campaign theme that has seen McCabe’s candidacy largely ignored by his opponents.  


During the night, Nathan, a Democrat, and Henderson, a Republican, repeatedly referenced bipartisan initiatives they led during their fouryears serving on the Rye City Council, including decreasing Rye Golf member fees and creating...
The Rye Record •

City Council Candidates Spar Over Westchester Power in Otherwise Cordial Debate Performance

This article was updated at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 to reflect that Robin Jovanovich and Maria Shuck are registered Democrats who are running on the Republican ticket.


Rye City Council candidates found common ground on most issues at last Tuesday night’s election forum, but the slates split sharply over the city’s continued default participation in Sustainable Westchester — a countywide renewable energy program. 


While Democratic candidates James Ward, Marion Anderson, and Amy Kesavan backed...
The Rye Record •

Brazen Burglars Break Into Playland, Steal Prizes and Damage Property: Police

Three people allegedly broke into Playland overnight late last month, damaging equipment and stealing hundreds of game prizes, Westchester County Police confirmed.


The incident occurred sometime between Sept. 23 and 24, police announced on Thursday, when the suspects allegedly arrived by boat on the Playland beach just before midnight. Police said the group climbed a fence to enter the amusement park, where they ransacked an electrical room by cutting or ripping out fiber optic cables used fo...
The Rye Record •

Downtown Development Is Front and Center in Pivotal City Council Race

With a pivotal council race now in full swing, all six candidates are honing in on the issue of development, one of the biggest campaign issues on the city’s November ballot.


Both Republican and Democratic candidates alike say they want to guide development through long-term planning and robust community input, pushing back in particular on an anonymous planning group’s visions and criticism of city land-use decisions.


The city has taken the initial steps to embark on updating its 40-year-...
The Rye Record •

Queens Man Arrested on Purchase Street For Carrying Multiple IDs and Knife

A Queens man was arrested in downtown Rye on Monday when police initially discovered his vehicle’s registration was suspended.


Ming Wu, 60, was driving a 2025 Toyota RAV4 on Purchase Street when he was stopped after a license plate reader alerted the officer that the vehicle had a suspended license plate registration. During the stop, Wu allegedly identified himself using a New York State driver’s license belonging to someone else.


A search of the Toyota uncovered several additional drive...
The Rye Record •

To Pee or Not to Pee: Council Debates Softer Stance on Public Potty Offenses

Rye police may soon be able to issue tickets instead of making arrests for public urination and defecation, after the City Council unanimously approved a move to hold a public hearing on the proposed change.


Currently, officers must arrest offenders, take them into custody, process paperwork at the station, and then release them – a process that can take two hours minimum, according to Rye Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy. The proposed ordinance would allow officers to issue a ticket o...
The Rye Record •

Rye City Schools Deepen AI Integration with New Focus on Ethics and Classroom Use

Artificial intelligence is moving from pilot projects to everyday use across the Rye City School District this school year.


The district is expanding lessons and training on AI tools — Diffit, Magic School, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Notebook LM — at every grade level, from creative writing in elementary school to research and ethics in middle school, according to district administrators. The focus, they say, is on using AI to enhance learning while ensuring teachers and students understand how to...
The Rye Record •

Democrat Marion Anderson Running Partially Separate Rye City Council Campaign

City Council candidate Marion Anderson is running a partially separate campaign from the rest of her Democratic running mates, but party leaders say the ticket is fully aligned and the arrangement is strictly financial.  


Anderson, 69, has chosen to have the Rye Democratic Committee manage her campaign efforts, breaking from the rest of the slate, which is being led by campaign manager Harry Brussel. She made the decision in May because of her busy work schedule, she said, running the White P...
The Rye Record •

Nathan, Henderson Agree to Scrap Political Signs During Mayoral Campaign

This article was updated on Oct. 8 at 2:51 p.m.


Political rivals Bill Henderson and Josh Nathan have agreed against using lawn signs during their high-stakes mayoral campaign — but they forgot to give Rick McCabe the memo. 


Nathan, a Democrat, said he and his Republican counterpart, Henderson, came to the informal decision late last year before announcing their campaigns, continuing what they describe as a long-standing tradition in Rye politics.  


But the duo failed to inform McCabe, a...
The Rye Record •

Rye GOP Fundraising Still Outpacing Democrats One Month Before City Council Election, Filings Show

The Rye GOP ticket continues to maintain a sizable fundraising lead, bringing in over $50,000 — more than three times as much as their Democratic rivals — ahead of November’s City Council election, state filings show.  


Republicans collected a total of $51,274 in campaign contributions from a total of 95 donors, according to the latest financial disclosures filed with the state Board of Elections on Oct. 3. The total reflects an increase of $25,049 and 43 additional donors since the last fili...
The Rye Record •

Rye Superintendent Murray Aims to Boost Student Voice and Community Ties in Five-Year Plan

Rye City School District Superintendent Patricia Murray has introduced a five-year strategic plan that puts students, teachers, and the community at the center of the district’s priorities.


The plan emphasizes student empowerment, professional growth for educators, stronger community partnerships, fiscal responsibility, and ongoing evaluation. Each goal, Murray said, is grounded in The Rye Commitment, the district’s guiding principles.


This is the district’s first five-year strategic plan,...
The Rye Record •

Bronx Woman Arrested on Playland Parkway With Stolen License Plate

A Bronx woman was arrested in Rye on Friday, after police caught her while allegedly driving with a stolen license plate.


Rye police said that officers used license plate reader technology to locate a 2004 Honda Accord with a stolen plate on Milton Road. Officers stopped the vehicle on Playland Parkway and identified the driver as Nicole Walker, 51.


The plate had first been reported stolen to the NYPD Property Crimes Unit on Aug. 30. Walker was charged with criminal possession of stolen p...
The Rye Record •

Rye Police Arrest Queens Man for Driving With Stolen License Plate

Rye police arrested a Queens man Thursday after they caught him driving with a stolen license plate.


Police stopped Oscar Magallanes, 27, of College Point, after officers spotted the 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit he was driving with a stolen plate on Midland Avenue as it entered I-287 heading west. The plate had been reported stolen to the NYPD Property Crimes Unit on Sept. 4.


Officers pulled the car over on the shoulder of the highway, according to police.


Magallanes was charged with crimi...
The Rye Record •

Citing a Scheduling Conflict, City Records Planning Commission Meeting on Osborn Expansion

With The Osborn proposing a massive expansion of its campus, the city recorded the most Planning Commission’s most recent review of the project for interested viewers who were unable to attend the Sept. 9 session.


Rather than adopting a blanket policy to record all Planning Commission meetings going forward, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis depending on need and staff availability, according to Interim City Manager Brian Shea.


He said the Sept. 9 meeting was recorded beca...
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