White Plains BOL and City Council Seats Mostly Uncontested
With six candidates vying for five seats in County and City government representing the people of White Plains, only one spot is contested and that is for the White Plains Council.
Ben Boykin (Incumbent Democrat-County Legislative District 5) has been a County Legislator representing White Plains since 2014. He is chair of the Board of Legislator’s Appointments Committee, was a member of the White Plains Common Council from 2000-2013 and on the White Plains School Board from 1992-1999. He is a local businessman and on the board of White Plains Meals-on-Wheels. Boykin is running uncontested on the Democrat, Working Families and Independence party lines.
Alfreda Williams (Incumbent Democrat-County Legislative District 8) is running unopposed as the County Legislator representing sections of White Plains downtown, Greenburgh, Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. She serves as chair of the Community Services Committee. Prior to her service as a county legislator, Williams was the Town Clerk for Greenburgh for 14 years.
AnneMarie Encarnacao (challenger) is running on the Republican line, challenging one seat on the all-Democrat White Plains Common Council. As a 45-year resident of White Plains, Encarnacao has lived in five of the city’s neighborhoods and raised two children here. She works as a real estate broker and has expressed concern at candidate forums about the apparent lack of interest by the city administration and its Council for the quality of life of residents over the special interests of corporations developing within the city. “The city is dirty,” she says and has expressed concern that the homeless and mentally ill should be taken care of in ways better than they are now. Encarnacao is also interested in the plight of the small businesses in the city and the number of empty storefronts on Mamaroneck Avenue and the Post Road. She believes a negative environment caused in large part by restrictive parking practices is causing the small businesses downtown to lose customers. Having run for a seat on the Council in 2013, Encarnacao asks why the issues are still the same and cannot understand why nothing has been done. She would offer a special parking permit for use by residents in the downtown to be used during prime time, not just evenings and weekends. She also feels that the downtown landlords need to be more reasonable about the rents they want to charge. Encarnacao is supportive of development at the White Plains Train Station but concerned that White Plains not take on the entire financial burden of development. She asks if the County and Metro North are participating in the planning.
Nadine Hunt-Robinson (incumbent) has held the White Plains Council seat left vacant by Ben Boykin when he was elected to the County Legislature. She is running for a full term on the Democrat, Working Families and Independence party lines. Hunt-Robinson is an attorney and is currently chair of the Mayor’s Youth Board. She is proud of her vote against closing a portion of Hathaway Lane and giving it to FASNY, saying that her priorities are and will always be the safety and welfare of the public. A key issue for Hunt-Robinson is maintaining balance within White Plains. At a recent forum she said she does not believe in trickle down and that it is the job of the city leaders to ensure a place for everyone in White Plains. She feels the White Plains public is very engaged in what is happening in the city and that it is important to listen to them – to everyone. With regard to development, especially a new transmodal hub at the current Metro North station, Hunt-Robinson emphasizes a task force is just as important as a paid expert consultant. “We don’t want developers to dictate to us. We want to determine what we want there,” she said. Hunt-Robinson is also concerned about maintaining diversity in the city and providing enough affordable housing and good jobs to keep people here.
Dennis Krolian (incumbent) has been a member of the White Plains Council since 2012. He is a practicing trial attorney and has been a White Plains resident for 32 years. He is running on the Democrat, Working Families and Independence party lines. During his tenure he is proud to have been a part of keeping the city budget within the 2 percent tax cap, while maintaining public services. As with each of the other candidates, Krolian would like to see the White Plains Comprehensive Plan updated as soon as possible. He believes there is a good foundation in place and that it is important to add sections concerning new demographics and uses, especially in the downtown, while preserving the character of the neighborhoods. Public safety is a high priority on his list. Krolian noted at a recent forum that regardless of what the public might think, he has learned as a Councilmember that decisions on the White Plains Council are made independently. “We do not huddle,” he said. “We interact with the community in an active way and make our decisions based on what we think individually. Then we cast our vote.” The key to living in White Plains, he says, is increasing the amount of affordable and workforce housing. On the train station, Krolian describes it as just a train platform right now. As the station with the largest reverse commute in the area, we need a good solid redevelopment plan, he said.
Milagros Lecuona (incumbent) has been on the White Plains Common Council since 2008. She is chair of Sustainable White Plains, a board member of the White Plains Historical Society and is a volunteer firefighter – Hope Engine Company. She has degrees and experience in urban planning and architecture. Lecuona is running for reelection on the Democrat, Working Families and Independence party lines. She believes it is necessary to be pro-active with city planning and encourages updating the White Plains Comprehensive Plan “today, if not yesterday.” She says the existing plan is obsolete and needs sustainability and historic preservation chapters as well as new ways to describe land use. She believes transparency in city communications has come a long way because of digital communication technology, but claims the city still runs short. She would like to see all the Council work sessions recorded and televised as well as meetings of committees and boards, which could be moved to Council chambers to make that easier. “That would be true transparency,” Lecuona says. Providing adequate affordable and workforce housing is as important as job creation in the city to keep the diverse population in place, Lecuona noted at a recent candidates forum. She is glad that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the affect of development at the train station on the Battle Hill neighborhood is being considered as part of the development research. She is proud of her vote against closing down a portion of Hathaway Lane to support the FASNY site plan and reminds voters that she is the one Councilmember who voted against accepting the findings of the FASNY DEIS because she felt they were not complete. Public safety is high on Lecuona’s list of important issues and she finds the White Plains Public Safety and Police Departments to be open to discussion and ideas. Lecuona agrees that landlords in the White Plains downtown need to be more reasonable with rents. It is a countywide problem she says. Lecuona recommends allowing the buildings on Mamaroneck Avenue to increase their height to six stories, adding residential and possibly closing off part of the street to vehicular traffic to create a better pedestrian environment. We need to make White Plains unique, bring in the new and the special to White Plains, she said.
