Westchester BOL Names Carolyn Stevens as New Chief of Staff
Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ben Boykin announced today that Chief of Staff Dennis J. Power is retiring.
Replacing Power will be the Honorable Carolyn B. Stevens, former Scarsdale mayor and village trustee. Stevens is an attorney with extensive government experience and a long-time member of the County’s Citizens’ Budget Advisory Committee.
Power, a former White Plains councilman who had retired from his position as Director of Program Development at Westchester’s Department of Environmental Facilities in 2013, returned to County government in 2018 at Boykin’s request to serve as chief of staff.
Power said, “It has been a pleasure to serve Chairman Boykin, my long-time colleague at the White Plains Common Council, and to work with this steadfast group of Legislators and the Board’s hard-working staff, as well as to partner with the Latimer administration team.
“The recently-ended legislative term was an historic one. I’m proud that the management skills I gained during my years in the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors could be put to use in support of the legislature’s achievements. I will miss the day-to-day action at the Board, but look forward to returning to the ranks of the retired — spending quality time with my wife, children, grandkids, and extended family and getting back to some serious hiking and walking on the trails and pathways of this beautiful County.”
Stevens comes to the Board after 25 years of experience as a litigator and arbitrator. She was Scarsdale mayor from 2009-2011. She served as a village trustee from 2003-2007. She was a consultant to federal court monitor for the Westchester County affordable housing settlement from 2011 to 2017. She has been a member of the County’s Citizen’s Budget Advisory Committee since 2011.
Stevens currently serves as a member of the Ossining Planning Board, and is the Planning Board’s liaison to the Ossining Environmental Action Committee.
Stevens said, “I’m honored to be asked to serve as Chief of Staff. I have known Chairman Boykin for many years and have had the opportunity to work him productively on issues including affordable housing, infrastructure, and the County budget. I am excited to be able to draw on my years of work on issues affecting the County, and my experience in municipal government, to help the Chairman and the Board confront challenges, seize opportunities, and continue to deliver results for the people of Westchester.”
Boykin said, “I am profoundly grateful to Dennis Power for returning from retirement to serve as my Chief of Staff for the past two years. His wise counsel, unflagging work ethic, and commitment to the people of the County, have been a bedrock resource for me and the whole Board. He will be missed. But I am very excited that Carolyn Stevens has agreed to become Chief of Staff. Her background as an attorney and as a public official, as well as her experience with the County’s budget, make her uniquely qualified for the role and I look forward to the ideas and energy she will bring as we continue our work for the residents of Westchester County.”
Stevens will take over from Power on January 27.
