White Plains, NY — Improvements to County parks from Montrose to Mount Vernon; investments in roads, transportation, Westchester Community College and waste management infrastructure; strengthening government ethics; police reform; and increasing transparency in the co-op market -- these are just a few of the Board of Legislators' achievements in the first half of 2021, outlined in Board Chair Ben Boykin's 2021 Mid-Year Report released this week.
"After being at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are bouncing back," Boykin said. There is important work to be done in the coming months as we continue our recovery. The decisions we make will shape Westchester for generations. It is our responsibility to ensure that our values guide our choices. We must build Westchester's renewal on the pillars of fairness, equity, sustainability, fiscal responsibility, openness and transparency. In the first half of 2021, that work has already begun."
The report details actions by the Board during the first half of 2021 to:
- Approve an ambitious police reimagining plan for Westchester
- Dramatically strengthen the ethics rules for County government
- Increase transparency in co-op sales
- Approve a hard-fought, negotiated legal settlement that will allow Playland to operate with greater County oversight
- Invest tens of millions of dollars in improvements to County parks
- Authorize the acquisition of new hybrid electric buses to make our mass transit system cleaner
- Rehabilitate miles of County-owned roads
- Modernize our wastewater treatment and sewer systems
- Invest in housing for seniors and others who live and work in our County
- Upgrade the infrastructure at Westchester Community College
- Expand tax relief for our veterans
- Support the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank to finance the development of 21st century infrastructure
Boykin said, "I would like to thank County Executive George Latimer and his staff for their creative, dedicated and steadfast leadership for the past four years, and especially during the COVID-19 crisis. I’d also like to thank Board leadership – Vice Chair Alfreda Williams, Majority Leader MaryJane Shimsky, Majority Whip Christopher Johnson, and Minority Leader Margaret Cunzio – and all our County Legislators. This Board has been able to achieve all it has because of their dedication to serving the people of this County, supported by the outstanding public service of the Board’s tireless staff during the past 15 difficult months. Working together, this County government has risen to the occasion to keep the residents of Westchester safe, to buoy the County’s financial health, and to provide for the people of Westchester at a time when government services have never been more essential."
Read the report at: https://westchesterlegislators.com/images/pdf/2021Mid-YearReport.pdf