Ben Ostrer, Esq. passed last week. We first met in 1989 when I ran for the Town Board in Chester. Ben was a horse trader turned lawyer. I was not sure if I could trust him as he was a Republican. Soon, Ben became Town lawyer, and I served as Deputy Town Supervisor. He asked me to review legal papers he drafted for the Town. I begrudgingly did so, and eventually determined he was not cut out for the job. We replaced Ben. I am sure he seethed inside but we remained friends.
During the next thirty years, I watched Ben grow into a very respected member of the bar, here and throughout the state. He was an early expert on DNA evidence, a go to person for lawyers facing tough evidentiary issues. A dogged advocate, Ben was well connected politically but not reliant on that for his successes. Ben was also a fair man, not an ideologue. He wanted to work on solving problems. He shared his insights without hesitancy or defensiveness. In short, he was a mensch, a deeply committed, hard-working person.
Within the last year, Ben became very ill. From our several discussions, it was clear that he knew the end was near. But he was still deeply interested in others, in the broader picture, in contributing his ideas, not pitying his own plight.
A few weeks ago, I was speaking with a well-known judge from Westchester. He was angry because Ben endorsed an “Orange only” ticket of candidates for judgeships. This Judge felt a bit betrayed but could still not say enough good things about Ben, asking after his well-being and lauding him for his capability and desire to be and do good.
Ben reminds us that political party affiliation does not define a person or a person’s capacity to have ideals and ideas worth emulating. Ben loved his family, his community, his country. He did not wear these affections on his sleeve. He did not engage in endless self-promotion. He simply did his work as best as he could and that was good enough to help many, many people. I will miss Ben Ostrer and I am far from alone in that sentiment.
Michael Sussman
Chester