Giving Rye: Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester League of Women Voters
Giving Rye is a feature series highlighting non-profits and community groups in and around the City of Rye. Today meet Lisa Dominici of the Rye Youth Council.
Your Names: Roz Carvin and Elizabeth Rotfeld
Name of your organization: Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester League of Women Voters
Your role: Co-Presidents
MyRye.com: Tell us your organization’s mission.
Carvin & Rotfeld: The mission of the League is to educate the community about what is happening in the area with respect to political and civic issues. Specific to our chapter only, we are wholly bipartisan and do not advocate for or promote one side of an issue over another or one candidate over another.
How long have you operated in Rye?
Carvin & Rotfeld: Our local chapter was started in the early 1920s by Rye resident and local community leader and activist, Caroline O’Day. Although it endured for many years, it became a bit listless. However, it was revamped and resuscitated by Debbie Reisner and Peter Larr in 2009 as the dynamic organization it is today. What we are most proud of and what makes our chapter very unique is that, unlike most other LWV chapters, we do not advocate for or against issues or candidates. Our goal is to be the “go-to” organization for people from all political persuasions who are interested in learning about local issues and candidates. In today’s political climate, where we have become extremely divided according to party, our local chapter is one of the very few places one can go to and find just information without any opinions. We give the community the information; what they think of it and what they do with that information is solely up to them.
What programming or work in Rye is the organization best known for?
Carvin & Rotfeld:
- Candidate Forums: Our chapter holds a forum (or debate) for almost every local contested election. We’re very proud of the events we are able to host, making sure that we keep everything very fair minded by using moderators who are from outside the community and asking questions that have been formulated by the general public so there are no issues of bias or favoritism.
- Student Programs: Our Students Inside Albany is a wonderful program with which we send one (sometimes two) high school student(s) to Albany to shadow a local lawmaker for 2 days. We also offer the Peter Larr Civic Achievement Award to a high school student every year. Students apply by writing an essay and also being recommended by their school guidance counselor. We renamed the award to honor Peter Larr, one of our founding members, who very sadly passed away in 2020. Peter was a wonderful person and a true asset to our chapter. We’re privileged to still have his wife, Roz Larr, as a long time board member. We also sponsor a Civics Class that is run by One World, a charitable organization that is concerned with providing global competency to high school students.
- Voter Registration Drives: One of our missions is to encourage participation in the political process and that, of course, means we have a vested interest in making sure people get out there and vote! We run several voter registration drives, helping people get the documentation they need to become voters.
Looking forward to 2025, what will be your top initiatives?
Carvin & Rotfeld: Our top initiative is to continue fulfilling our mission of education the community in any way we can so that we all feel capable and comfortable when it comes to the political process. Being an informed voter is invaluable and we like to think that our chapter plays a part in giving voters that confidence. We also love being able to instill that confidence in the younger generations by helping them realize their voice matters in the political arena. They are our future and the future of this country so encouraging their interest and curiosity in the political process is of paramount importance.
Tell us about the population you serve and how they can get involved with your programming and services.
Carvin & Rotfeld: We serve Rye, Rye Brook and Port Chester, 3 very distinct and unique communities, and we are constantly looking for new members from all 3 areas who want to get involved and help us further our mission. Our membership is comprised of both Republicans and Democrats, and everyone has a voice and all opinions are welcome. Anyone who would like to explore becoming involved is more than welcome to reach out to Roz or Liz via our website or our Facebook page.
Are you a 501(c)(3) non-profit with tax exempt status?
Carvin & Rotfeld: Yes.
Looking back across 2024, what were your organization’s top achievements?
Carvin & Rotfeld:
- Candidate Forums
- New Civic Student Programs
- Continuation of student programs?
How can local residents support your organization?
Carvin & Rotfeld: Our membership is in dire need of younger people from each of the communities that we serve to participate on our board. Financial support is always welcome but we really would love to have volunteer support. As a group we have a lot of fun working with each other, planning the various forums and information panels. Volunteers to help out on the forums and debates with time-keeping, question vetting and audience help are always much appreciated, as are folks who would like to help facilitate our voter registration drives.
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in your current role?
Carvin & Rotfeld: Roz and Liz became co-presidents in June 2024 although they have both been members of the League for many years. Roz joined the board in 2010 and Liz in 2012.
Is the role full time or part time? Paid or volunteer?
Carvin & Rotfeld: The role is part-time, volunteer. Roz has been involved with several different local organizations for many years and Liz is the director of the Rye Brook Senior Center.
How would your friends and family describe you in one word?
Carvin & Rotfeld: If we have to keep it to one word, both Roz and Liz can be described incredibly accurately as “dynamic”.
Where did you grow up?
Carvin & Rotfeld: Liz grew up in Port Chester. Roz grew up in Nigeria with her American mother and Nigerian father. She moved to the US for college and eventually met and married her husband, Joe Carvin, a Port Chester native, former Rye Town Supervisor and current Port Chester Village Trustee.
What is your favorite unimportant thing about you?
Rotfeld: I work well under pressure which is usually caused by my own procrastination.
Carvin: hates drama and so avoids it like the plague; absolutely does not “sweat the small stuff’ and so is often described as laid-back.
If the next five years is a chapter in your life, what is this chapter about?
Rotfeld: Focusing on my health and family.
Carvin: New empty nester so the next 5 years is about enjoying life, my husband and my children in their new iteration of “almost adults,” and traveling as much as possible
What would you do if you were not afraid?
Rotfeld: Travel the world
Carvin: Interesting question! I actually don’t think I’m afraid of anything actually, except serious illness. And since both my daughters are now in college and living away from home, I’ve made a pact with myself to try lots of new things and have lots of new adventures. Rather than fear stopping me if anything is, time and scheduling is the culprit.
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City?
Rotfeld: I have been a resident of Rye Brook/Port Chester area my entire life
Carvin: After 17 years in Rye Brook, my husband and I moved to the Greyrock section of Port Chester. We’ve been here now for almost 6 years and are absolutely loving it. Not only are we on the Long Island Sound, we are within walking distance of downtown Rye which is wonderful.
Thanks Liz and Roz!
Learn More:
Bios:
Rozlyn Igwe Carvin was born in Pittsburgh, PA but raised mostly in Nigeria by her American mother and Nigerian father. She returned to the US for college and holds a B. A. from Southern Connecticut State University as well as an L.L.B. in Law from the University of London. She was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2002 and is a proud member of Gray’s Inn, one of the 4 legal guilds of England in which all qualified Barristers must maintain membership. Roz, as she’s known to family and friends, has been an active participant in the local community, serving as a long time Board member of the League of Women Voters of Rye, Rye Brook and Port Chester. She also sits on the Board of the School of the Holy Child, Rye, a school from which both of her daughters, now in college, graduated. In addition the League and Holy Child, Roz is also on the board of The Rye YMCA.
Previously, Roz served on the boards of the Pre-Day School, Port Chester; the Westchester Children’s Museum; the Rye Art Center; and Staying Put in Rye and the Environs, also known as SPRYE. She is also a past president of the Port Chester/Rye Brook Rotary Club. With her husband, Joe, Roz is the co-founder of One World United & Virtuous, a charitable organization dedicated to helping today’s youth become 21st century leaders through global awareness and competency, character education and “future ready” skill. Rozlyn has 2 daughters in college, one a junior at Mount Holyoke College in S. Hadley, Massachusetts and the other a sophomore at University of San Diego in San Diego, CA. She and her husband, Joe, are proud residents of Port Chester.
Elizabeth Rotfeld (Liz) has worked for the Village of Rye Brook from 1987, beginning as a part-timer until 1995, returning full circle to Rye Brook in March 2010 as the Deputy Village Clerk/Senior Citizen Coordinator. She has over 20 years experience in local government, previously holding a position in the manager’s office in the Village of Scarsdale as well as school district experience where she worked as the District Clerk for the Yorktown Central School District. Past employment also includes 5 years working as the executive assistant to the Chief Operating Officer of the Westchester Medical Group (WestMed) and Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Information Officer of Ameritrade Holding Corp’s subsidiary company “OnMoney.com”. Liz holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Manhattan College. She is on the Port Chester/Rye Brook Library Board, a member and co-president of the Board of Directors of the Port Chester/Rye/Rye Brook League of Women Voters, Board member of the Port Chester Council for the Arts and President of the Port Chester/Rye Brook/Rye Town Council of Community services, former Girl Scout leader for the Port Chester/Rye Brook Girl Scouts, former member and PTA President of both the King Street School PTA, Port Chester Middle School PTA and Port Chester High School PTA as well as a former member of the Bond Advisory Committee. Liz is a lifelong Westchester County resident, former Rye Brook resident now residing in Port Chester with her husband Michael Carriere and son Noah.
