2026 New York General Election

## About Don

Bedford resident since childhood (grew up in Bedford Village, raised his family in Katonah). Former Bedford Town Councilman (5 years); former president of the Katonah-Lewisboro School Board; former Katonah Fire Commissioner; former Wetlands Commissioner. Co-Chair of the Westchester Alliance, a cross-partisan civic group, and active with Braver Angels of New York. Runs a legal-marketing firm in Katonah.

Fact Sheet | Don Scott for Bedford

Don Scott grew up in Bedford Village. He raised his family in Katonah.

## About Don

Bedford resident since childhood (grew up in Bedford Village, raised his family in Katonah). Former Bedford Town Councilman (5 years); former president of the Katonah-Lewisboro School Board; former Katonah Fire Commissioner; former Wetlands Commissioner. Co-Chair of the Westchester Alliance, a cross-partisan civic group, and active with Braver Angels of New York. Runs a legal-marketing firm in Katonah.

The 2023 Patch questionnaire also lists: “Education: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, B.A. Economics and Business Administration.”

Don Scott runs a legal-marketing firm in Katonah.

Don runs a legal-marketing firm in Katonah.

## About Don

Bedford resident since childhood (grew up in Bedford Village, raised his family in Katonah). Former Bedford Town Councilman (5 years); former president of the Katonah-Lewisboro School Board; former Katonah Fire Commissioner; former Wetlands Commissioner. Co-Chair of the Westchester Alliance, a cross-partisan civic group, and active with Braver Angels of New York. Runs a legal-marketing firm in Katonah.

A November 4, 2015 Daily Voice report states: “Incumbent Don Scott and former Supervisor Lee Roberts have won the races for a pair of council seats on the Bedford Town Board,” and says Scott “ran on a Republican slate.”

Don previously served as a Bedford Town Councilman for five years.

MY POSITION

Bedford Hills deserves a public revitalization plan with measurable goals, visible short-term improvements, and transparent reporting on every consultant, contract, and town-led effort.

publish a plain-language Bedford Hills revitalization dashboard
list every consultant working on Bedford Hills, including cost, scope, deliverables, timeline, and renewal status
set public KPIs for vacancies, storefront activity, streetscape improvements, train station progress, parking, cleanliness, and business outreach
resolve the train station business question with a clear timeline and public status updates
focus immediately on visible basics: litter, plantings, lighting, benches, signage, sidewalks, crossings, and general appearance
explore low-cost pop-up storefront experiments in vacant spaces
evaluate transit-oriented development honestly, including benefits, parking, traffic, infrastructure, and scale
report progress regularly in language residents can understand

Bedford Hills | Don Scott for Bedford

Proposes a public Bedford Hills revitalization plan with measurable goals, transparent reporting, and low-cost pop-up storefront experiments.

- Proposes a public Bedford Hills revitalization plan with measurable goals, transparent reporting, and low-cost pop-up storefront experiments.

Economy

Prioritizes Bedford Hills improvements including litter cleanup, plantings, lighting, benches, signage, sidewalks, and crossings.

- Prioritizes Bedford Hills improvements including litter cleanup, plantings, lighting, benches, signage, sidewalks, and crossings.

Public Services

How would you address the affordable housing issue in the community?

As a board member of ACE - Allied Community Enterprises a housing advocacy group, it is a priority of mine. The Town, working with its Blue Mountain Housing Corp must find more opportunities not only for affordable housing but also housing that is affordable. We must publicize our ADU-Accessory Dwelling Unit rules which offer a great opportunity to add to our affordable housing stock.

Candidate Profile: Don Scott, Bedford Town Board | Patch

MY POSITION

Bedford should pursue more housing through a public, town-wide growth framework before allowing project-by-project exceptions to become the default housing policy.

complete a plain-language housing needs audit
update and communicate a real long-term master planning framework
evaluate cumulative impact by hamlet, not just project by project
require clear public explanations for zoning variances and density changes
measure traffic, parking, drainage, emergency access, and infrastructure capacity
protect architectural scale, streetscape, tree canopy, and historic character
distinguish actual affordability from market-rate projects with token affordable units

Growth vs Character | Don Scott for Bedford

So the answer is not “build nothing” or “build anything.” It is build what Bedford actually needs, where Bedford can support it, at a scale Bedford can absorb.

And preserve the things that make Bedford worth choosing in the first place.

Supports publicizing rules for accessory dwelling units and finding additional affordable-housing opportunities with Blue Mountain Housing Corp.

Supports housing development that Bedford needs and can support, guided by a public town-wide growth framework rather than project-by-project exceptions.

- Supports publicizing rules for accessory dwelling units and finding additional affordable-housing opportunities with Blue Mountain Housing Corp.
- Supports housing development that Bedford needs and can support, guided by a public town-wide growth framework rather than project-by-project exceptions.

Housing & Urban Development

So, is the answer to ban these cameras outright? Tangle News published a survey showing that 25% oppose the cameras completely, but only 5% support them as they are currently used. The rest, 69%, support cameras with restrictions. I think the Tangle News respondents probably have it right. It’s important to keep this valuable crime-fighting tool in place with guardrails. First, local government needs to be more transparent about its surveillance support and strategy. Second, there needs to be a clear audit trail showing every time the data is accessed by law enforcement and why to prevent abuse. Hopefully, the response to the recent uproar will be reforms that make most of us more comfortable with the technology. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Surveillance tools need public oversight | Don Scott for Bedford

Supports keeping automated license plate readers with public transparency and an audit trail for law-enforcement data access.

- Supports keeping automated license plate readers with public transparency and an audit trail for law-enforcement data access.

Public Safety

MY POSITION

Bedford should publish and maintain a State Road Accountability Log for major unresolved state-road issues, including Route 117 and Route 172.

which roads are state-controlled
who is responsible
when contact was made
what the response was
what happens next

Not because Bedford controls every road. Because residents deserve to know who does.

Road Conditions, Tested in Public | Don Scott for Bedford

A bad road surface is often just the symptom. Drainage, base failure, and weather cycles are often the real issue.

A quick patch that fails in two winters is not progress. The Town should push for the right repair, not just a fast one.

Proposes publishing and maintaining a State Road Accountability Log for unresolved state-road issues, including Routes 117 and 172.

Calls for durable road repairs rather than quick patches that fail.

- Proposes publishing and maintaining a State Road Accountability Log for unresolved state-road issues, including Routes 117 and 172.
- Calls for durable road repairs rather than quick patches that fail.

Transportation & Infrastructure

How would you protect the drinking water in the community?

As a former wetlands commissioner, I value our wetlands laws which protect our drinking water which comes from wells both private and public. I support town wide testing of wells to stay on top of water quality. Working closely with their neighboring towns on this issue is also important as is continuing to purchase open space which helps protect our drinking water.

This was a 2023 candidate questionnaire response. A targeted search of current campaign materials did not identify a newer contradictory statement on wetlands protections, well testing, or open-space acquisition.

Supports town-wide well testing, collaboration with neighboring towns, and open-space purchases to protect drinking water.

- Supports town-wide well testing, collaboration with neighboring towns, and open-space purchases to protect drinking water.

Energy & the Environment

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Don Scott

- Supports housing development that Bedford needs and can support, guided by a public town-wide growth framework rather than project-by-project exceptions.

LinkedIn

DON SCOTT

Mauricio Mendez

Buket Urgen

Candidate questionnaire identification section: “Name: Ellen Z. Calves … Hometown: Katonah in the Town of Bedford.”

Candidate Profile: Ellen Z. Calves, Bedford Town Supervisor

Candidate Profile: Ellen Z. Calves For Bedford Town Supervisor

As of October 23, 2026, Ellen Z. Calves did not have a website or any information online.

Ellen Z. Calves

As of October 23, 2026, ELLEN Z CALVES’s website did not contain information on this issue.

New York Town Supervisor, Bedford

Candidates (2)