CB1 Honors Pearl Scher, 91, as a ‘Fighter’

By Barry Owens

In 2000, not long after she had settled into her apartment in the Hallmark, a seniors residence in Battery Park City, Pearl Scher marched over to the offices of the Battery Park City Authority.

“She came in to say hello, calling herself a self-proclaimed advocate for the residents of the Hallmark,” recalls Leticia Romauro, spokeswoman for the authority. “And she had a list of demands.”

		By 2001, she had expanded her advocacy, proclaiming herself “Mayor of Chambers Street” where she “would literally go into storefront after storefront to tell the owner how dirty their sidewalk was,” said Community Board 1 member Anthony Notaro. “I don’t think many people could get away with that.” Scher, who joined CB1 three years ago, is taking a leave due to illness. Last
month her fellow community board members proclaimed her an ‘inspiration’ and rewarded the 91-year-old for her tireless service to the neighborhood. “You’ve been a sparkplug to us all,” said Richard Kennedy, vice chairman of the board, who presented Scher with a plaque.

“It’s a miracle that I’m standing here today,” she said, seemingly taken aback by the standing ovation she received from the board last month.

“This community board does not owe me a thing,” she said. “I owe everything I am to this group.”

There are certainly community board members who have served on the board longer, decades even, but Scher’s relatively short tenure is seen as remarkable for the amount of energy she put into winning seemingly small, but important victories for her fellow seniors at the Hallmark—including a painted pedestrian crosswalk and a bus shelter across the street.

“She is a fighter and protector for all those that don’t have a voice,” said Romauro. “She is an amazing woman. I want to be her when I grow up.”
Scher came late to politics, running her first campaign at the age of 80 for county legislator in Westchester. Although she ended up 900 votes short out of more than 20,000 ballots cast, she was exhilarated.

When friends tried to console her, she said, “Are you crazy? Let’s celebrate!” The next year she ran for town council and won overwhelemingly. “I was the only senior citizen, woman, Jew and Democrat on the council,” she once told the Trib.

When she moved into the Hallmark, she became the first chairman of the residents council, which represent the residents to management. And she made a habit of making sure that every new tenant of the building registered to vote.
She first began attending Community Board 1 meetings in 2001.

“They’re dry as dust, but I love them,” she told the Trib in an interview in May 2003. “I like the fact that we have a group of people who will give their time to improve the community.”

“When she first started coming around, I was taken by the things that she felt were important,” said long time board member Bob Townley, who also heads Manhattan Youth. “It seemed to me she was just as concerned about the crossing at West Street as she was the building of the Freedom Tower. Every time she spoke, I felt validated,” he said.

“She has always shown just a really unbelievable level of commitment,” said Notaro, who is a fellow Battery Park City resident. “From the day she first moved in she has been tremendously focused on her neighborhood, her building, her community.”

Last month was not the first time the board took time out to pay tribute to Scher during a public meeting. In recognition of her 90th birthday last year, Notaro presented Scher with a bouquet of flowers and kind words.

Scher grabbed the microphone, gave a gracious thanks to her fellow board members, and then used the opportunity to point out that garbage was piling up near a vacant lot on Chambers Street.

“Something has to be done,” she said.