Nancy Barr is in her fourth two-year term as County Legislator representing District 6, comprised of Port Chester, Rye Brook and Harrison. Legislator Barr brings an acute awareness of the challenges faced by our County and its residents, a collaborative, forward-looking mind-set with a focus on building relationships, and honed problem-solving skills to meet these challenges with innovative solutions.

Legislator Barr is committed to addressing climate change, storm mitigation and infrastructure improvements. She also prioritizes responsible development to benefit Westchester’s economy, protect small businesses and provide affordable housing. Quality of life issues such as protecting workers’ rights and equal rights for all Westchester residents, increasing access to childcare, healthcare and mental health services, and improving Westchester’s treasured parks system are equally important.

Legislator Barr currently Chairs the Human Services Committee, Co-Chairs the Board’s Families Task Force and serves as Vice Chair of the Budget & Appropriations and Public Works & Transportation Committees. Legislator Barr also serves on the Law & Major Contracts and Parks & Environment Committees, and is Board liaison to the County’s Airport Advisory Board. Legislator Barr previously served as Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Law & Major Contracts and Environment & Health Committees, and as Vice Chair of the Planning, Economic Development & Energy Committee.

Legislator Barr has followed through on her commitment to help Westchester families by introducing and voting for legislation designed to protect the health, safety and economic well-being of the County and its residents. This legislation includes the Immigration Protection Act, the Wage History Discrimination Act, and laws banning gun shows on County property, spurring the hiring of service-disabled veteran-owned businesses in County contracts, and raising the age for sales of tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21.

Legislator Barr co-sponsored the County’s expanded polystyrene (aka Styrofoam) ban, lobbied strongly for Westchester County to take a role in helping municipalities make food scrap recycling affordable and composting accessible, and co-sponsored the Upon Request/Single-Use Foodware legislation. She also supported Clinic Access, Fair Housing, Right to Counsel, Co-op Disclosure, Earned Sick Leave, Flood Disclosure, Food Allergy Safety and Reporting of Hate Incidences laws, amongst others. Legislator Barr was also instrumental in creating the People with Disabilities Advisory Committee, which advises the County Executive and Board of Legislators on issues relating to people with disabilities including recommending legislation, funding priorities and programs. For more on Legislator Barr’s role in shaping County policy and helping her constituents, see her annual newsletters.

In addition to her legislative duties, Legislator Barr remains active in her local community. She serves on the Council of Community Services of Rye Town, Port Chester and Rye Brook, is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Port Chester/Rye Brook and is an inaugural member of the Lions Club of Port Chester/Rye Brook. Prior to becoming County Legislator, Ms. Barr served on the Blind Brook School Board for six years, including as President and Vice President, on several school district committees, and coordinated meals for Blind Brook/St. Peter’s Soup Kitchen in Port Chester for over a decade while her children were growing up. In all these roles, Ms. Barr has gained insight into the problems faced by residents, and has worked hard to find solutions to community challenges via advocacy and mobilization.

After earning her Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University, Ms. Barr worked for the American Kennel Club in their Education and Public Affairs department. She later graduated from Yale Law School, where she volunteered in the Yale Law Immigration Clinic. She spent a summer at the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) Children’s Rights Project. Before moving to Westchester, Vice Chair Barr was a Trusts and Estates attorney at the Manhattan law firm Milbank Tweed Hadley and McCloy.

Ms. Barr was born in Queens and grew up in Stony Brook, Long Island. She and her husband Tom Kratochvil have lived in Rye Brook since 1996 and have two adult children.

Vedat’s commitment to public service came from his family’s experience as political activists and refugees, opportunities he had working with inspiring leaders, and his experience helping to create a country out of the ashes of war.

Vedat was born in Kosovo (formerly Yugoslavia) in April of 1978. At the age of 4, he and his family fled the oppressive, socialist regime to the United States. Vedat first moved to the Bronx and later put down permanent roots in Yorktown. Vedat is one of five children, four of whom still reside in Yorktown where they are raising their families.

After graduating from Lakeland High School, Vedat went on to pursue a B.A. from Connecticut College, where he was invited to serve on the Board of Trustees as a Young Alumni Trustee. Next, Vedat earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University. During his studies, Vedat interned with two of his heroes, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, then at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and Congressman Lee Hamilton on the House International Relations Committee.

Upon passing the New York Bar, Vedat was called to service in Kosovo to join the US/EU effort to help establish the newly formed state of Kosovo – first through a grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and later through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations. While in Kosovo, Vedat’s hard work lead to remarkable accomplishments, including drafting some of Kosovo’s foundational legal documents and establishing Kosovo’s Ministry of Local Government Administration. Vedat was later nominated by the United Nations to serve as the Chief Legal Advisor to Kosovo’s Prime Minister. Shortly after Kosovo declared independence, Vedat returned to his home in the United States.

Vedat’s experiences abroad made him appreciate the value of the strong democratic foundation in the United States. Upon returning home to Yorktown, Vedat followed in the footsteps of his family’s small business success in real estate by opening up his own small business, in the form of a real estate legal practice, in Yorktown Heights and in the Bronx.

Currently, Vedat lives and works in his hometown of Yorktown, with his wife, Vjosa, and their children, Leka and Hana, who also attend Yorktown public schools. Upon his return, Vedat has joined the Rotary Club of Yorktown, has been active in his kids’ school, sports, and scouting. Vedat is an active member of the Yorktown Democratic Party where he serves as a Democratic District Leader.

Margaret Cunzio is currently serving her fifth term on the Board of Legislators, representing North Castle, Mount Pleasant, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow and parts of Harrison.

Cunzio is a lifelong Westchester County resident, having grown up in Armonk and residing in Thornwood for the past 26 years. She currently teaches at Iona University and SUNY Empire State University. At Iona University - she teaches graduate Education courses and she has worked as the director of the literacy practicum which includes an after-school program that runs out of Yonkers Public Schools that works with Yonkers students to provide them with academic support. She also is a fitness professional at Equinox in Armonk and Scarsdale.

Cunzio graduated from Byram Hills High School. She attended Iona University, earning a B.A. in Journalism. She continued her studies at Fordham University, where she received her M.S. in Education, and later graduated from Mercy University with her P.D. in Educational Administration. She is a New York State certified teacher and NYS administrator.

A civic-minded member of her community, she has previously served on the Mount Pleasant Architectural Review Board and was involved with the Mount Pleasant Recreation Center senior program. She sits on non-profit boards as well-and has served in different capacities including Treasurer, Vice-President and President.

Additionally, she is an animal advocate, pet foster and pet rescuer, and is the proud owner of three rescue cats and two rescue dogs—one from the Briarcliff SPCA and one from NYC Second Chance Rescue. She has fostered over 200 cats/kittens, 50 dogs/puppies and transported 231 cats/kittens, 29 dogs/puppies, 9 rabbits and 1 guinea pig.

Margaret is also an interior volunteer firefighter with the Thorwnood FD. She completed her firefighter 1 course at DES and continues to pursue her training in this field. 

Erika Pierce has been a New York state resident for most of her life. In 2000, Erika, her husband, Clay, and their two young children moved to Katonah where they continue to reside more than twenty years later.
 
She has a bachelor's degree in English from Barnard College and a master’s degree in Education from Manhattanville College, where she was the recipient of their Award for Academic Excellence.  Erika has additionally studied business at NYU.
 
Prior to 2017, Erika worked for a combination of private businesses and non-profit organizations.  For over a decade, she was the financial officer for a mid-sized printing company in Manhattan. More recently, she served as company manager for a non-profit touring theatre company where she also provided assistance with educational and Veterans’ programming.
 
Throughout her years in Westchester, Erika has always been involved in the community. When her children were young, Erika was instrumental in the design and construction of the community vegetable garden at the local elementary school, one of the first at that time. She also helped shape and deliver the accompanying environmental programming. When her kids were older, she was involved in Arts Alive, and served on committees for the school board. Erika has also served as a mentor for Bedford 2030 for their Greenlight program and as a volunteer in Jacob Burns Film Center’s educational outreach program. She’s also served as a long-time judge for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and volunteered for and served on committees supporting other local non-profits, including the Community Center of Northern Westchester, the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, and Westchester’s Christmas Dinner. 
 
From 2018 to 2021, Erika served as Legislative Aide to County Legislator Kitley Covill. Erika was elected to the Westchester Board of Legislators in November of 2021.­­­