"Vanessa tried so many times against the odds and made the difference for so many people" -HoH Dems

Hastings Democratic Committee Tribute to Vanessa Merton

In honor of Vanessa Merton’s retirement from Pace University, the Hastings Democratic Committee reflects upon her influence across the political landscape of her home community, where she leads as a fighter for justice, democracy, transparency, and countless progressive issues.

Vanessa is prodigious; her impact profound and incalculable. Dozens of district leaders have served with her over her nearly three decades on the Committee and worked alongside her in awe. Fellow Democrats have borne witness to her fire and precision, when picking apart complicated policy ideas with elected officials, defending the rights of immigrants, working as a steward of environmental protection, advocating for affordable housing, ferociously guarding fair elections, and demanding, always, rigorous and methodical internal processes.

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Vanessa entered the Hastings Democratic Committee in the late 1990s as a disruptor and force for rebuilding the Democratic institution and party culture in Hastings — leading a movement to take over the Committee with a group of village residents including Wendy Mesnikoff, David Shapiro, David Goldfarb, and Marge Apel. As subsequent Chair Ken Tucillo recounts, “The very conservative Democratic Committee at that time didn’t like our progressive politics and didn't want us to upset the ‘Demopublican’ process, and Mayor Fran MacEachron made sure we were rejected.” In addition to substantive issues, the group opposed the Committee’s practice of arranging trustee appointments and restricting participation.

The insurgents initially worked to gain positions through the party caucus process, bringing more than 550 Democrats to vote in the 1997 general meeting. They were thwarted through procedural means and blocked by the Committee, led at that time by Judah Shapiro. But, the following year, Vanessa was one of 12 candidates who collected petitions and got on the ballot to challenge 16 seats on the Committee. The group included David Shapiro, Ken Tucillo, Tom Brown, Larry Appel, David Goldfarb, and Fred Wirtz, among others. All 12 candidates won, culminating in a memorable party that night and unleashing a new wave of progressive energy in the village.

Vanessa was pivotal in early battles to protect the village’s greenways from developers along the Hastings waterfront and on Route 9A. She opposed development projects that would negatively impact the village and served judiciously on the Hastings Zoning Board of Appeals. Together with Wendy Mesnikoff and others, she led the way for the village’s first Comprehensive Plan, arguing for a process of citizen inclusion and strategic village planning. She served on the Intergovernmental Task Force on Hastings Waterfront Clean-up and pushed forward projects such as the clean-up of Age Carting’s dump and warehouse. These remaining facilities along the Hastings waterfront had erupted into chemical fires in the late 1990s — a tangible and symbolic representation of the ecological impact of post-industrialization in the village. As a steward of the land, Vanessa played roles in the movements to protect open green spaces such as the Burke Estate (sitting on the advisory board Citizens for the Burke Estate) and Hillside Woods.

Vanessa’s deep roots in Hastings; knowledge of its history, people, and politics; and lifelong commitment to progressive values have made her a tremendous resource to fellow Democrats. With a thorough understanding of Westchester County’s legal matters and governmental systems, she has ensured that her fellow Committee members are aware of relevant issues — from the state and local, to federal and global levels — and she has pushed them to focus on the battles worth fighting.

To have Vanessa in the room is to have an ally to the cause of fairness. With one or two incisive comments that crystallize the most essential aspects, she identifies and summarizes the essential issues of any discussion. She was an early supporter of the movement to move the village elections from March to November, which expanded voter ballot access nearly tenfold. In recent years she has lobbied the Committee to take a stand on voting integrity and fair and safe election processes, with a sharp focus on technical risks and an unflinching inspection of systems involved.

Vanessa’s dogged vision, taking on the big battles while leaving no minutiae uninspected, earned her the admiration from former State Assemblyman Tom Abinanti, who notes that as, “Senator Robert F. Kennedy said, one person can make a difference and each of us should try. Vanessa tried so many times against the odds and made the difference for so many people. She has led the way when the path wasn’t clear, making the improbable possible so many times.”

Indeed, for our elected officials, Vanessa offers a moment of truth. Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner writes, “Every time Vanessa endorsed my candidacy I felt proud that I did not let her down, because for me her support was like a Consumer Reports seal of opinion: it meant something to me. She has strong opinions, is passionate about public service, is not afraid to take unpopular stands, and will keep fighting for causes she believes in. A role model for citizen activism.”

Hastings Mayor Nicola Armacost was warned of Vanessa’s ferocity when running for trustee in 2009: “In an effort to find out who this super scary person was, I asked some people to describe her: ‘brilliant’ said one person, ‘intimidating’ said another… And the list of impressive adjectives began to add up… 'hard-core,’ ‘rigorous,’ ‘no-nonsense,’ ‘persistent,’ ‘relentless,’ and even ‘terrifying.’ So you can imagine, the ‘theory of Vanessa’ loomed large in my mind… but when we finally met, I found her to be thoughtful, honest, fair, passionately committed to justice and a person of deep integrity… Vanessa knows our village through and through, and you only need to listen to her talk about Hastings once or twice to be clear she loves it here.”

For Peter Swiderski, Hastings Mayor from 2009-19, Vanessa is “fiercely smart in her points and razor-sharp in her advocacy, a formidable voice for her positions… I always listened carefully, even when her fierce advocacy made me uncomfortable… We all want careers and lives where we can feel we made a difference in people’s lives — Vanessa did that in an order of magnitude beyond what most of us manage.”

Greenburgh Town Councilwoman Ellen Hendrickx, Chair of the Committee from 2010-21, reflects that Vanessa’s “passion for how things should be, could be… so few have the power of your convictions or are willing to raise their voices in well-reasoned proclamation as you have done over and over again. Daunting. Admirable. And yes, sometimes fractious and anger inspiring.”

For the last 30 years, Vanessa has mentored countless Democratic district leaders and generously shared her knowledge to further the Committee’s work and causes. She is renowned for speaking her mind, with deeply considered decisions informed by thorough research. Her hand will forever be felt in our by-laws and our process for conducting discussions and making decisions going forward.

Vanessa is a touchstone for the Committee, a person upon whom others rely. “Personally, I have often sought out and appreciated Vanessa’s views on so many political topics, always supported by extensive research,” reflects Christina Lomolino. “How often we have gotten those Vanessa emails — calling us to action, cogently summarizing the issue, and bolstered by a raft of cites to related reading!”

And for many in the Committee, Vanessa’s friendship is a source of inspiration. As related by Leslie Chervokas: “It has been my great honor and pleasure to have spent so much of my adult life in Hastings with Vanessa. I could have had no finer tutelage or better friend. Vanessa is a true force of nature, a giant. Her far superior intellect is matched by her compassion — and her action.”

Vanessa’s thorough and sometimes pointed engagement of local political leaders visiting the Committee has made memorable, productive moments. As Adam Hart notes, “Vanessa is brilliant, warm, caring, thorough, dedicated, passionate, persistent, and sometimes even downright belligerent. She conjures the true spirit of activism and puts it to action. An inspiration to anyone who cares about the future of humanity and our world.”

Adds Co-Vice Chair Gaby Bordwin, “Given the extent to which Vanessa terrified me from afar, I could never have anticipated the depth of appreciation I’d feel for her as a colleague on the Hastings Democratic Committee. Finding ourselves in agreement, when it happens, is a relief — not just for reasons of self preservation, but for the rigorous ideological confirmation she confers. Debating with her never fails to distill the issues and arguments, our ideals that inform them, and the actions they demand of us. Working alongside her has been a profound and formative experience.”

Chair Cassandra Sweet sees Vanessa’s legacy in the Committee. “Few people can have the impact Vanessa has had on the fabric of this community. She has long fought for transparency and fair institutional processes, she demands quality work (no commas can be missed under her eagle eye!) and she gives infinite hours to discussion, communication, and policy study. She advances the tradition of democracy in this country and calls on all of us to ask the hard questions and do the hard work.”

No document can be true to the fullness of Vanessa’s might when she believes in an issue, nor the precision she wields to dismantle an injustice when she sees it. As we celebrate Vanessa’s vast contributions to the field of immigration rights, we stand in awe and appreciation of her lasting influence in the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson and the Hastings Democratic Committee.