Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino Addresses Local Summit

By Janet O'Connell

On Tuesday, December 13, 2016, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino joined the Larchmont Mamaroneck Local Summit for his annual “State of the County” presentation to the local community.

County Executive Astorino began his presentation by discussing his proposed budget for the next fiscal year, saying that he was pleased that his proposed budget included no tax increases, noting “Same dollar amount as the day we walked in.” He has achieved this, he said, “by managing the expense side, even while pensions and health care costs have increased and investment income has remained flat due to low interest rates.”

One of the key elements in Astorino’s plan to balance the budget with no tax increases is his proposal to privatize the Westchester County Airport. A law passed in 1996 during the Clinton administration enables small airports to be privatized. The proposal was a part of the budget plan which was submitted to the County Board of Legislators. According to Astorino, the County pays $1million a year to operate the airport, which is and has been managed by a private operator. However, “every dollar that comes from the airport stays at the airport” he said. “No money returns to the County.”

Astorino emphasized that, in his opinion, the County needs to seek new revenue sources. He explained that the average cost to the County for each County employee, including health care and pension benefits, is $134,000. “So, when we say we can’t afford it, we can’t afford it,” and emphasized that “we need to look at other ways to get things done and to reduce the burden on already over-burdened taxpayers in this County.” Astorino asserted that, if Westchester County Airport is privatized, the County would be able to use some airport revenues for other County programs, such as day care. “It is a good deal,” stated the County Executive, “and without it, we will have to make $15 million in cuts.”

Astorino’s proposal to privatize the airport is not without controversy, as was evidenced by budget discussions after the budget was submitted for approval to the County Board of Legislators. Astorino said that the County is in talks with Oaktree Capital Management to lease and manage the airport, a firm which already operates several other airports, and he has included the anticipated revenues from the deal with Oaktree as part of the budget proposal.

According to Astorino, the proposed operational transfer would contain very strict environmental guidelines to protect the neighborhood, wildlife and wetlands. Also, Oaktree would upgrade the terminal and build a de-icing pump station. It could not, however, lengthen the runways. “This is important because if you lengthen the runways, you can increase the size of the airport. The agreement says no size increase, no new terminal, no additional gates, no casinos, and no hotel,” according to Astorino.

Continuing with his presentation, Astorino turned next to the 2010 HUD settlement which required the County to build 750 units of affordable housing in Westchester County. Mr. Astorino stated, “I am proud to say that we have met all the benchmarks. The County has all the financing for the 750 new units, and we are only waiting for certain municipalities to finalize some of the remaining building permits.” He added “It isn’t easy to build anything in Westchester, but the County has worked very collaboratively with our communities” in order to achieve compliance. Astorino pointed out that the settlement would ultimately cost almost double the initially anticipated amount of $51million, but it will result in more affordable housing in our County. He stated that, going forward, the County will continue to build affordable housing as there is a need to be met.

This portion of the presentation raised an audience question about exclusionary zoning, to which Mr. Astorino responded that there was a federal moderator who served at the discretion of HUD and was an aggressive advocate for HUD, but who had found very few instances of exclusionary zoning.

Astorino then turned his attention to flood mitigation in the Mamaroneck area. He stated that the County and local municipalities are waiting for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete its final report. He advised that the County has put money in the budget for flood mitigation, noting, “It is a very expensive proposition, but we will absolutely help this area.” He also pointed out that there are other areas in the County facing flooding problems, such as communities near the Bronx River.

Astorino, who has appeared annually at the Local Summit, was asked a follow-up question to what was said at his 2015 Local Summit appearance concerning the topic of gun shows. Specifically, one resident asked Astorino if he could provide data on the number of gun-related deaths and injuries in the County and what impact the gun store in Harrison has had on gun violence in the County . The County Executive responded that he did not believe those statistics were available, but he promised to try to secure and provide information on the number of gun-related injuries. He also noted that most gun laws are under Federal and State jurisdiction, not County jurisdiction. “For instance, we have no jurisdiction over concealed carry,” he said.

Another audience member raised a question about Playland, mentioning that the City of Rye had sued the County to make sure the County had complied with the provisions of the state’s Environmental Quality Review Act in designating itself the lead agency for park projects. The County Executive responded that he feels the reviews were done properly but added that the matter is in the courts and a judge will decide the issue. Astorino also said that even if the judge decides in favor of Rye, it won’t delay progress with plans for the park.

The final audience question at the end of the presentation concerned hate crimes. Astorino reported there was an incident in early December where a swastika was painted on a foot overpass over the Bronx River Park in White Plains. Astorino advised that County personnel were immediately sent to the location to address the problem, stating, “This will not be tolerated. This is not who we are in this County. We are the 4th most diverse County in all of New York. We have always gotten along very, very well in this County”.

Finally, County Executive Astorino asked everyone to follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook. He noted that his office puts out a weekly “Brief” every Friday afternoon that provides a snapshot of what’s going on and can be accessed on a smart phone.

This breakfast forum was hosted by the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Local Summit, an informal community council that seeks to make life better for all in the tri-municipal area. Its monthly meetings are held at the Nautilus Diner in Mamaroneck Diner at 7:45 a.m., usually on the third Tuesday of the month. The next meeting will take place on October 18 and will explore how LMC-TV serves the community.