Latimer an Obvious Choice for Second Term as County Executive
For a conscientious voter, there are times the night before an election when serious decision-making is in order.
Other elections one candidate is so strong that little thought goes into the process at all.
The latter is the case with this year’s Westchester County executive’s race.
George Latimer, a Democrat, who has never lost an election, should coast next week but also because his party has amassed such a sizeable registration advantage across the county but he has done a superb job in multiple areas under challenging conditions.
He has led the county with a steady hand through more than 19 months of COVID-19, providing frequent updates on testing, vaccines and other services, nearly all of them broadcast over social media, in his reassuring tone.
Latimer has displayed leadership in other situations as well. After the killing of George Floyd last year, he announced the creation of a task force for the county to evaluate areas where the county police can do better. That was nearly two weeks before former governor Andrew Cuomo mandated a similar charge to municipalities around the state.
From toughening penalties for human rights violations to green initiatives to robust county finances and a strong commitment to capital projects, there is plenty of good news.
One criticism of his tenure was how the sales tax increase to 8.375 percent became permanent even though it was portrayed as a two-year hike.
Certainly, there will be new challenges ahead. It would be helpful if Latimer restarted the Westchester County Airport Master Plan early next year as communities surrounding the airport are still plagued by the noise of landing aircraft.
His opponent, Christine Sculti, former county executive Rob Astorino’s chief adviser, has the unenviable task of trying to unseat Latimer. In addition to working for Astorino, Sculti has a background in economic development in Yonkers as well as experience running a business with her mother.
In another year, Sculti would be worth a second look. But Latimer has been a fine steward for the county on so many issues that he overwhelmingly deserves a second term.
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/