2019 Candidate Profile: Kitley S. Covill For County Legislator

KATONAH, NY — Westchester County will have several contested races in this fall's election, including the race for Westchester County District 2 legislator. Bedford-Katonah Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Kitley S. Covill, 64, of Katonah, is a Democrat running for re-election to represent District 2. Her opponent is Republican Gina M. Arena.

Covill is an attorney. She is married with two grown children.

District 2 is comprised of Bedford, Lewisboro, Mt. Kisco, North Salem, Pound Ridge and Somers.

The single most pressing issue facing our community, and what I intend to do about it.

County government should reflect our best instincts by taking an active role to safeguard the environment. Protecting the environment and working to combat the climate crisis is an imperative. Clean air, water and energy are critical to the safety, health and future of northern Westchester, New York State, the United States and indeed the entire planet. The ongoing staggering damage from extreme weather is a powerful reminder of, and warning about, our current climate crisis. District 2 is home to reservoirs that supply drinking water to millions of residents of Westchester and New York City. I pledge to do everything possible to continue to protect our reservoirs and watershed so that we continue to enjoy high quality, safe drinking water. I will also continue to be an advocate for our parklands. The county owns five parks in District 2 which are in dire need of support following years of neglect and budget cuts. Westchester County should be a leader in the environment, developing innovative polices and utilizing new, renewable energy sources. The environmental initiatives of local groups like Bedford 2020 should be expanded into policies and legislation that will benefit our entire county. But new approaches don’t mean automatic tax increases. County government can innovate while adhering to the 2 percent tax cap. We can be both fiscally responsible and socially caring.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

This year’s elections are very important, considering the impact that local officials’ actions have on our families and communities. For the past two years the county has been led by a Democratic majority, whose members have worked hard to fix a government that has been long crippled by a culture of cuts, fiscal mismanagement and deteriorating services. Let’s keep up the momentum by re-electing proven advocates for our town and county. Important legislation has been passed on the environment, small business, health care, infrastructure, social justice and other major issues with fiscally responsible leaders who will hold the line on taxes, solve problems and get things done. My opponent has described herself as a conservative Republican, and that party has regressive policies on climate change, women’s rights, fiscal responsibility and public safety, policies that are out of touch with the values of a majority of the residents of District 2.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am looking forward to working with our towns on such regional issues as our much-stressed transportation corridors and our access to mass transit. We must do more to ensure that our emergency services can respond to fires and health calls promptly. That work includes sharing services, not only through the rerouting of 911 calls through the County’s 60 control, but the installation of cellular towers that improve coverage and response times. We know that many residents will work remotely and that our children will continue that trend. Cell coverage is a challenge in our rural areas, so we must find workable solutions as we embrace the new model for employment. I also want to find ways to encourage small businesses and support our local main streets with incentives to locate here and support to keep them vibrant. It has been a busy term. There is more that needs to be done, so it’s important to keep the county legislature in experienced hands with a great, dedicated team to keep up the momentum and continue to deliver results. As we look to the future, we’re expecting great things for northern Westchester and for all the families and residents of beautiful Westchester County.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am running for re-election to continue the work I have started, and to ensure that the people of Legislative District 2 have the voice they need from a well-qualified, experienced legislator. Since starting my first term as a County Legislator in 2018, I voted for critical legislation to support our district including a ban on hiring questions regarding salary history, to ensure equal compensation for men and women; a sensible Immigration Protection Act to protect hard-working, law-abiding immigrants in our community; a ban on polystyrene, to better preserve our environment and open spaces; an end to gun shows on county property. I’ve also worked with all our town supervisors and our mayor to find solutions which make our towns more livable, our water safer, and our taxes lower. I have advocated for investments in our roads, our water infrastructure and our local county parks. I have helped our district find grants and creative funding solutions to help address problems and build our future, while remaining fiscally responsible by holding the line on taxes under the tax cap. I have worked for and with our nonprofits and found ways to better support our veterans. I take my job as representing constituents seriously and have responded to their concerns and requests for help for everything ranging from NYSEG and ConEd’s responses to storms, to potholes on county roads and support for our volunteer first responders.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

No matter the job, big or small, do it well or not at all.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

The reinvigorated Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) has been hard at work since 2018, and has efficiently enacted a variety of helpful and sensible laws, such as banning the sale of tobacco products and e-cigarettes to anyone under 21 and eliminating polystyrene. We’ve made sure all new programs and policies consider the environment; this includes buying hybrid and electric buses, electric vehicles and installing charging stations and solar panels. We’ve voted for safe leave, ensuring that domestic violence and human trafficking survivors can take time off from work to attend court. We’ve reinvigorated the capital projects that languished for years and are now investing in roads, bridges and parks. We’ve lobbied the utilities for more investments in their electricity delivery systems and better service and communication with residents. We have restored employees to the County Planning Department so that planning expertise for local towns is a telephone call away. We struggled with a leftover structural deficit in the county budget and, instead of raising property taxes, reached parity with surrounding counties with a 1 percent sales tax adjustment, and a 30 percent sharing of that income with schools and local towns and villages. We have looked for innovative ways to share services and grappled with the challenges of raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18. Northern Westchester has benefited from an invigorated county government by investing tax dollars in paving Long Ridge Road, rebuilding a bridge in North Salem, designing a new bridge for Greenwich Road, new road signage and restoring our long-neglected area county parks with millions in capital projects for Muscoot, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Merestead and Mountain Lakes. More money has flowed to local water infrastructure projects, and designs and scope for sewer and septic projects and our towns have worked collaboratively with the county to support our small businesses and attract new families.

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