Gashi to Appoint Interim County Exec on Thursday; BOL to Vote on Monday
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
With the hours dwindling in Westchester County Executive George Latimer’s tenure, the line of succession outlined in the county’s charter will be used for the first time to fill the vacant seat.
It is widely considered that Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins will be appointed by Board of Legislators Chair Vedat Gashi (D-Yorktown) to slide into the seat starting on noon on Thursday, when Latimer’s resignation takes effect.
Gashi said the process dictates that the Board of Legislators will vote at its next scheduled meeting on Monday, Jan. 6 regarding who becomes the next county executive until a special election can be held sometime within 90 days of the meeting. At that same meeting, lawmakers will vote on a date for the special election.
Virtually the entire Westchester Democratic establishment supports Jenkins succeeding Latimer, after serving as his deputy for seven years. In November, Jenkins announced he would be running in the special election, to fill out the remaining year of Latimer’s term.
While Gashi declined to name who he would officially appoint on Thursday, he said he wasn’t aware of anyone else.
“I think it’s natural that he’d be considered the frontrunner,” Gashi said of Jenkins. “That said, we take the process seriously. We’re going to rely on the process and go through the process.”
Gashi said the charter requires the Board of Legislators to set the special election as soon as it is feasible, which likely places it sometime in February.
So far, no Republican has publicly announced interest in competing in the special election.
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/
