Board of Legislators Chair Reflects on Four Years of Achievements
Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ben Boykin reflected last week on the achievements of the board over the last four years in an end-of-term report.
Boykin (D-White Plains), who was re-elected to a fifth two-year term representing District 5 last month running unopposed, has chaired the Democratic-dominated board since 2018.
“The last four years have been historic and consequential for this board,” Boykin stated. “As Westchester County elected officials, our greatest responsibility is to work toward a county that is improved in every way from the one we inherit. When people look back on the last four years, they will see that we have done that, and more.”
“I took office with great hopes for what we could achieve for the people of Westchester, despite the significant challenges we faced in terms of the county’s precarious financial position at the time, and not knowing the unprecedented difficulties that would arise from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he continued. “But the verdict is in – our revitalization of the county’s finances over the past four years has been a remarkable success, and the myth that the only path to fiscal health is to deprive residents of necessary services has been debunked.”
Working with County Executive George Latimer, Boykin said the budgets the board have passed since 2018 have eliminated one-shot revenues and borrowing to fund operations, cut the county’s tax levy three years in a row and rebuilt the county’s reserve funds to an expected $300 million from $65 million when Latimer took office.
“We have restored the county’s financial health,” Boykin stated. “Smart fiscal planning has made so much possible. With this transformative turnaround, the evidence is clear that with the right leadership and the right values we can strengthen the social safety net, invest in our infrastructure, and at the same time make extraordinary improvements in the county’s finances.”
In addition, Boykin said the board passed historic legislation to support Westchester’s working families; taken action to respond to the climate crisis; preserved and improved county parks and historic buildings; increased affordable housing access for thousands of seniors and working people; strengthened county government ethics and transparency; supported small businesses and consumers; and embraced and protected Westchester’s diversity.
“While I am extremely proud to have led the board during these historic times, the board’s achievements are not mine, they are the result of the committed, focused and collaborative work of all legislators during these last four years, the outstanding work of the board’s dedicated staff and the support and leadership of our partner in county government, County Executive George Latimer and his staff,” Boykin stated.
“The opportunity to serve as board chair during these last four years, when we both celebrated the board’s 50th anniversary and navigated the darkest days of the pandemic, has been on of the greatest privileges and the most formidable challenges of my career,” he added. “It is a time and place I will never forget, as we look ahead with hope for a return to normalcy in our future.”
It is unclear who will be the Board of Legislators’ chair for the next two years.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
