Eastchester REVIEW THE
April 20, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 16 | www.eastchesterreview.com
Killian, Mayer at odds over sex harassment claims
Mazel Tov
More than 3,000 members of the Jewish community came together in Hartsdale on Sunday, April 15 in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the creation of Israel in 1948. For more, see page 6. Photo/Aggie Photography
Latimer tackles finances in State of the County
By JAMES PERO Staff Writer George Latimer’s first State of the County Address as the Westchester County executive returned to the Board of Legislators’ chambers for the first time in seven years. There, Latimer spoke of financial solvency, which he said remains in peril thanks to his predecessor. “While we have big plans to move the State of our County forward together—we must understand where our fiscal house stands,” said Latimer, a Democrat, during his speech on Monday, April 16. “And much to my chagrin, the numbers right now do not look pretty.” Blaming the prior Republican administration, Latimer said that
the county’s fiscal house has fallen victim to “sweep it under the rug economics.” Specifically, Latimer referred to policies implemented under the administration of Rob Astorino, who made it his mantra to keep the county’s tax levy flat. Astorino never raised the tax levy during his eight years in office, spanning from 2010 to 2017. As a result, Latimer said the county’s budget will undergo an audit by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli that he hopes will determine the best course of action for Westchester’s fiscal future. While Latimer did not explicitly mention raising taxes, he did refer to raising levels of services and salaries for workers, in addition to tackling a running list of
backlogged capital projects that soared to $1.5 billion under Astorino’s watch. “We will look to consolidate services, maximize aid from Albany and Washington, eliminate waste by terminating pay-to-play contracts and find creative solutions to best spend tax dollars,” he said. While the 2018 budget—his first budget as county executive— won’t be voted on until December of this year, Latimer said that he would be open to amending the current 2017 budget which was approved during Astorino’s tenure along with the help of a bipartisan coalition controlling the county Board of Legislators. Following the elections last November, Democrats now hold supermajority control of the Board
of Legislators. Though Latimer criticized Astorino for attempting to balance the county’s budget with “oneshot deals,” he also remained agnostic on the future of two marquis partnerships finalized under the previous administration: Playland and the Westchester County Airport. “Just because the prior administration started a program or brokered a deal does not mean we will automatically dissolve it,” Latimer said. “We are committed to looking at everything.” Already, the legislature and administration have begun reviewing the $60 million public-private partnership between the county and the investment firm Standard LATIMER continued on page 9
A race for a pivotal state Senate seat is turning contentious in its final days as an April special election draws close. Last week, Republican candidate Julie Killian, who is running against state Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer, a Democrat, for an open seat in the Senate’s 37th District, called for Mayer to drop out of the race following a story published in The Daily News claiming that she ignored the sexual harassment claims of Senate staffers. Mayer was chief counsel of Senate Democrats at the time. “By allowing the sexual harassment of two women who were seeking her help to continue until after the next election [in 2010], Shelley Mayer has conclusively demonstrated that she does not possess the character or moral compass to continue serving in the state Legislature,” Killian said in a statement. Holding an impromptu press conference on April 13 in front of one of Mayer’s headquarters in the village of Mamaroneck, Killian called on her opponent to resign amidst a sea of supporters. from both sides, who chanted and waved their respective signs. According to the Journal News, profanity-laced fights between supporters of both sides took place. In a Daily News article, two women, Julia Lilkendey and Shana Wittenwyler, claim that while they were Senate staffers, they were stalked and sexually harassed by a male supervisor dating back as far as 2009. Both women say that despite informing Mayer of the events, the Assemblywoman did little to help
the situation.Doug Forand, a Mayer spokesman, has denied the characterization of those events in a statement, claiming that Mayer reported the issue to her superior although no action was ever taken. It’s unclear what effect the allegations will have on Mayer’s campaign who has often touted women’s equality and equal pay as a part of her platform.Democrats are hoping for another strong turnout to follow on the heels of Election Day 2017, which saw area Democrats win seats across Westchester County due in part to growing discontent with some of the policies of President Donald Trump. Whether that turnout will translate into an April special election though, remains to be seen. Killian, having served previously as a Rye City councilwoman, does have some name recognition and familiarity within the Senate’s 37th District, which is comprised of the city of Yonkers, town of Eastchester, plus all of the communities that makeup the Sound Shore region.However, according to the county Board of Elections, the district’s enrollment numbers in 2017 favor registered Democrats by 28,000 voters. -Reporting by James Pero
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