March 30, 2018 by The Eastchester Review

Eastchester REVIEW THE

March 30, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 13 | www.eastchesterreview.com

County executive approves immigration legislation By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer

New name, same mission

Leslie Gordon, CEO of Feeding Westchester, formerly known as Food Bank for Westchester, unveils a sign with organization’s new name. For more, see page 6. Photo courtesy Feeding Westchester

Westchester Dems look to steal District 11 seat A longtime Republican seat on the Westchester County’s Board of Legislators will face a stiff challenge from Democrats in an upcoming special election. The seat, formerly held by Republican Jim Maisano, of New Rochelle, is in the crosshairs of Terry Clements, a Democrat, who was selected earlier this month to run for the open seat. Clements and county Democrats will look to widen a 12-4 margin on the Board of Legislators, against Republican candidate Jim Freeman, who also announced his decision to run for Maisano’s seat this month. “I am excited to share my ideas for Westchester County, including fiscal and environmental responsibility, safer schools and sensible gun control laws,” said Clements said in a statement. Clements is a city of New Ro-

Terry Clements, a Democrat, will enter the ring in a bid to win the Westchester County Board of Legislators’ District 11 seat over Republican candidate Jim Freeman in an April 24 special election. Photo courtesy Terry Clements

chelle resident, educator at Columbus Elementary School in New Rochelle, and a city Democratic district leader, but has never served in elected office. The open seat spurring the special election—which is set

for April 24—was created when Maisano stepped down earlier this year after 21 years in office to take a position as the head of the county Department of Consumer Protection in the administration of County Executive George Latimer, a Democrat. Though Republicans have held the seat consistently throughout the past two decades, they potentially face strong opposition from re-energized Democratic voters who turned out to the polls to help propel a bevy of Democratic candidates to victory in last November’s elections. On the same day as the election for the county’s District 11, residents will also be casting their votes for a special election for a pivotal state Senate District 37 seat in which Julie Killian, a Republican, is going head-

to-head with Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer, a Democrat. That election could be the decider in overthrowing a slim one-seat Republican majority in the New York state Senate. County legislators earn an annual salary of $49,200, and the winner of the race will serve out the remainder of Maisano’s twoyear term, which expires at the end of 2019. -Reporting by James Pero

Democratic Westchester County Executive George Latimer has signed a bill that protects undocumented immigrants from federal law enforcement agencies. Dubbed the Immigration Protection Act, the county executive approved the legislation—it passed earlier this month in an 11-3 vote—on March 20. The bill was crafted by county Legislator Catherine Borgia, an Ossining Democrat who proposed a similar idea last year that was eventually vetoed by former County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican. The policy will prevent Westchester law enforcement officials from cooperating with federal agencies such as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, and Customs and Border Patrol, as well as prevent county authorities from questioning individuals about their immigration status. The legislation will also require county authorities to ignore detainer requests from federal immigration agents for individuals being held at Westchester County Jail, unless the requests are accompanied by a judicial warrant. “This law makes all Westchester residents safer by increasing trust between communities and allowing Westchester law enforcement officials to focus on their job,” Latimer said in a statement. The county executive added the legislation does not violate federal law and will not make Westchester a “sanctuary county.” Representatives from county

law enforcement, including the heads of the Public Safety, Corrections and Probation departments, all stated that they support the new law. Micahel Hagan, the president of the county Police Benevolent Association, said he appreciated how county lawmakers included law enforcement officials’ ideas in the legislation. “The input we had in this thorough process allowed for a measure that will allow us to do what we are tasked to do,” he said. Despite support from county law enforcement, members of the Westchester Board of Legislators’ Republican caucus are maintaining that the policy will make Westchester incompliant with federal guidelines. Earlier this month, Legislator Margaret Cunzio, of Mount Pleasant, and Minority Leader John Testa, of Peekskill, both Republicans who voted against the bill, said the county lost an opportunity to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security to discuss how to construct that act so that it would be on par with federal law. As of press time, it’s unclear whether the immigration law will make Westchester a sanctuary county, as an executive order from last year by Republican President Donald Trump does not indicate what makes a municipality a “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants. Several elements of the executive order, including one aspect that restricts federal funding from municipalities that are considered a sanctuary, are also being questioned about their constitutionality. CONTACT: franco@hometwn.com