Special Election to Decide Balance of County Government

Though Hastings' MaryJane Shimsky and Hartsdale's Nick DeCicco have vastly different perspectives on how the Westchester County Board of Legislators should govern, they agree about one thing: The February 15 special election for a seat on the board is about more than just electing one representative.

Before Representitive Tom Abinanti (D-12) left for the State Assembly in Albany, there were 12 Democrats and five Republican on the board—meaning that Democrats had a super-majority, allowing them to override vetoed legislation passed down from Republican County Executive Robert Astorino.  

In December, the Board of Legislators overrode 247 of Astorino's 260 line-item vetos in the 2011 budget. 

In simple terms, electing Shimsky would protect that super-majority vote and, in most cases, voting in DeCicco would make the override impossible.

"I generally agree with Astorino's decisions," DeCicco said. "But I am in no way obligated to vote with him. I am an independent person, thinker and voter."

An attorney, DeCicco works as a a prosecutor for the Westchester County Attorney's Office. He is assigned to family court in Yonkers. Though a self proclaimed "political outsider," DeCicco said his experience on the Greenburgh Police Advisory and Zoning Boards makes him qualified to represent the district at the county level.

Shimsky is also an attorney who, most recently, served as community relations director for Assemblyman Richard Brodsky. She has been on the Hastings Democratic Committee, of which she has served as vice chair and chair.  In 2008, she was named vice chair of the Westchester Democratic Committee.

If elected, Shimsky would focus on creating legislation to protect the environment and protect social service agencies, more specifically neighborhood health clinics, Medicaid and housing subsidies. 

"An example I often give is the program for subsidized daycare for low-income women," she said. "The County Executive wanted to cut that, but I believe cutting the program would cost the taxpayers more if more single mothers quit their jobs and went on Welfare because they couldn't afford child care." Shimsky espouses a similar philosophy about health care, claiming it costs the county less to fund community clinics than waves of low-income residents being treated in emergency rooms. 

DeCicco disagrees. "We need leaders who are willing to say 'no' more," he said. "I understand what it is like for Greenburgh residents to struggle year after year to pay the taxes. We need to streamline government and reduce taxes."

One area which DeCicco would not cut, though, is law enforcement—on both the village and town levels— because he believes local police forces are invaluable to residents' safety. "I understand that you need to keep certain services to make government work," he said. "But I believe some can be administered in a more cost-effective manner."

Both candidates cite current economic troubles as reasons to support their platforms. DeCicco invoked the image of a single-income family or senior citizen being driven from his home due to sky-high taxes. Shimsky argued social service agencies are more important now than ever. 

DeCicco said he could not put a specific number on how much he would try to cut from the county budget—and in turn residents' taxes—but hoped "to change the mentality that every program can be funded."

The special election will be held Feb. 15 and polling places will be the same as November's elections—with the exception of Dobbs Ferry district 13, which will move to the Dobbs Ferry Village Hall and Irvington's districts 11 and 81, which will be moved to the library.

The 12th Legislative District is comprised of the Town of Greenburgh and the villages of: Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Ardsley.