Harrison Loses Valued County Representative

County politics can often seem distant from our day-to-day life here in Harrison.

Compared to other towns in the county—like Port Chester and Yonkers—where county programs such as public housing and social welfare programs are used by a more substantial proportion of the population, many of the high-visibility county-run programs are not in large use within the Harrison community.

Long-time Harrison resident, County Legislator Martin Rogowsky, has, despite this, managed to ensure that locals not only know  his name but also know his face, and has kept Harrison issues at the forefront in county politics for 13 years.

I first met Rogowsky while working with the Harrison Resident’s Committee. Despite a punishing schedule, Rogowsky went out of his way to make himself available and accessible. He was always welcoming, ready and willing to listen to constituent concerns. He is warm and personable, sharing stories of funny political events or of his wife and children—one of whom is a stand up comedian.

Far from just a talker, he has always been ready to roll up his sleeves to bring real change.

Rogowsky ran for election on a platform opposing expansion of Westchester County Airport, an issue near and dear to the hearts of many locals. Delivering on his campaign promises, Rogowsky was instrumental in limits not only to the airport itself, but also to the supporting garage. This move placed further limits on future airport expansion.

But, oddly enough, Rogowsky cites a consolidation of sewer districts as his biggest accomplishment.

“I admit this is far from a sexy subject. In fact after 10 years championing this issue, my wife told me I was not to talk about it over dinner again,” he said with a laugh. “But it was a real issue that placed hardship on many communities. There were huge disparities in sewer taxes, that placed undue burdens on many taxpayers."

He said Port Chester, for example, was paying five times the amount in sewer taxes than its surrounding communities. It took 13 years to make the changes., but Rogowsky said the change lowered the tax in Port Chester by 50 percent.

But after 13 years in county government Rogowsky is ready to move on to other challenges, possibly still in the field of public service. He said he would consider an appointed position at the state or federal level. He is well equipped for such a position having worked as a Chief of Staff on Capital Hill prior to spending six years in the White House working on energy issues under President Carter.

Rogowsky’s retirement will not become effective until the end of 2011, and he has no plans to rest on  past achievements for the remaining eight months of his term. He is currently working to have the entry fee at Playland waived for anyone living in Westchester County. A vote on that issue is scheduled for May 23.

“County residents are already supporting the park with taxes, they shouldn’t be paying an entry fee on top of that," he said. "The county will now only collect fees from out of county visitors to the park.”

Serving at the county level hasn't been all roses for Rogowsky, who said he is frustrated with the limits imposed on the county by state mandates. But he also makes clear that he has loved his time in the legislature.

“My wife was very surprised to hear of my decision to retire from this position. She knows how much I love it. It is a great honor to represent the 55,000 residents in this county and I take that representation very seriously and with great pride," he said. "I will miss it greatly.”

We’ll miss you too, Marty Rogowsky.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story reported that admission rates at Playland had already been waived for Westchester County residents. However this issue has not been voted on and as of right now prices remain the same. The article now reflects this change.