Board of Legislators Hikes Westchester County Executive Pay to $230G
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The Westchester Board of Legislators increased the county executive’s salary by nearly $70,000 for 2025, marking the first time in 20 years there has been a raise in pay for the position.
In a special Dec. 16 meeting, the board voted 12-3 to make the after outgoing County Executive George Latimer formally submitted the request to lawmakers on Nov. 15.
The salary had been frozen at $160,760 for the past 20 years, according to Committee on Budget & Appropriations Chair Jewel Williams Johnson (D-Greenburgh).
Board of Legislators Chair Vedat Gashi (D-Yorktown) said while Latimer had pledged never to take a raise, salaries of the commissioners and the deputy county executive now exceed that of the county executive, which needed to be rectified.
“Consider the work that is done and the pay of related and other counties even, it’s something that was easy for me to vote for,” said Board of Legislators Chair Vedat Gashi (D-Yorktown). “Good government would require that we pay elected officials fair wages.”
While Johnson supported the measure, she said it was troublesome that the position was allowed to remain at the same salary for as long as it did. Johnson said she understood Latimer’s aversion to giving himself a raise, he could have arranged with Human Resources to decline any part of the salary.
She also had difficulty with the lateness of the request and action by the board.
“While I deeply appreciate the altruistic approach taken by our outgoing county executive during his tenure, choosing not to facilitate any salary increases over the last seven years as part of his platform, I must express frustration with the very late timing of this correction and the position this has placed the Board of Legislators in,” Johnson said.
The fiscal impact of the increased salary was already included in the 2025 budget, she said. Therefore, it will not affect county spending or the tax rate next year.
Latimer said last week that he refused to accept any raises because of increasing public cynicism over elected officials and their motives have been on the upswing in recent years. During his tenure he also introduced a bill that imposes term limits of two full terms on the office.
Latimer has announced that he will officially leave office on Thursday, Jan. 2 at noon, 24 hours before he is sworn into the House of Representatives for the 16th Congressional District.
Legislator Catherine Parker (D-Mamaroneck) said it was an easy call for her to support the increase because the average salary of CEOs that run $2 billion-plus companies is $16 million, referring to the county’s $2.5 billion budget for 2025. Furthermore, it puts the Westchester County Executive’s salary in line with some of his colleagues in the region.
Despite the raise, at least four other department heads or officials will receive a higher salary than the county executive next year, Gashi said. In 2025, the medical examiner earns $267,000, the health commissioner $251,000, the commissioner of public safety will make $245,000 and the district attorney $232,000.
Three legislators, Tyrae Woodson-Samuels (D-Mount Vernon), Shanae Williams (D-Yonkers) and David Tubiolo (D-Yonkers) voted against the pay hike without explanation. Legislators Margaret Cunzio (C-Mount Pleasant) and James Nolan (R-Yonkers) were absent from the meeting.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/