Giving the Nod to Two Democrats and One Republican for Three White Plains Council Seats
The White Plains Common Council will say “good-bye” to two of its most vocal members at the end of the year. The decision by Milagros Lecuona and Dennis Krolian to not seek another term has opened the door for new faces. And new faces have come through. There are seven candidates, across party lines, seeking votes from White Plains residents to be their representatives to fill three seats at City Hall.
The current Common Council is comprised of seven Democrats – six Council members and the mayor. Incumbent Democrat, Nadine Hunt-Robinson, is the only candidate on the ballot seeking another term.
The new faces, Kat Brezler, Andrew Custodio, AnneMarie Encarnacao, Brian Peroni, Victoria Presser, and Jennifer Puja come from a broad range of backgrounds, but each has made White Plains their home and from what seems like an instinctive drive, have all become involved in community affairs in the city in one way or another. They all seem to understand the concept of public servant.
Hunt-Robinson will have served fours years on the Common Council. Over that period her passion for the residents of White Plains and providing them with a safe environment has obviously been paramount. She has applied her knowledge of the Law to understand how and why certain legal decisions are placed before governing bodies and has matured as a policy-maker to ensure that best practices go forward. She has been consistent in her discernment and shown that she is an independent thinker, willing to either vote with the group or stand on her own, depending on the issue at hand. White Plains needs that kind of leadership and Hunt-Robinson should be given the chance to continue for another four years. Her work is not yet done.
Kat Brezler, who has challenged the status quo, has much energy and a fire for social justice. Would a baseline of 20 percent affordable housing in all White Plains residential projects be doable? Perhaps not at this time, but we have to thank Brezler for bringing the issue to the table, for pushing the envelope.
This year, as in every election, the Democrats put forward their platform and their “team.” Jennifer Puja and Victoria Presser have amazing resumes. Puja, with a take-charge demeanor and experience with labor issues and unions might add some realistic perspective to city negotiations with its employees and with regard to working people living and wanting to live in the city. Affordable housing for the people who work in White Plains has been one of the most paramount issues of this election. Puja would make a good new voice to Common Council discussions.
Victoria Presser, a Democrat, and Andrew Custodio, a Republican, have similar steady approaches to the issues at hand. Would Presser stray from her party’s position if she had a conflict of opinion? It’s not clear. While we like Presser’s experience, it’s her hard work behind the scenes that keeps things going. Custodio, on the other hand, has openly stated that he has no “set in stone” party affiliation. In his quest to be heard, he has joined the Council of Neighborhood Associations in White Plains and been elected its president. The meeting agendas and interaction with city officials of the WPCNA during the past two years has greatly improved and become a true voice for the neighborhoods. Custodio has already reached out to city stakeholders and he seems to get a good discussion going. Maybe it’s time for a real independent seat on the Council with Custodio’s name on it.
The energy and passion of AnneMarie Encarnacao are inspiring and she is a strong voice for White Plains. The city could benefit from her continuing to remain as an activist, if not on the Council, as a Council watchdog. She is VP of WPCNA and a presidency might open.
We’d like to see Peroni, another Republican, choosing to make the “R” for Representative out there too. A small business owner perspective is necessary for future policy-making in a city where large institutions and corporations are making headway. If not as a Council member, perhaps working with the White Plains BID or with the WPCNA he can continue to add his voice moving forward.
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