LoHud: Latimer budget, balanced with $88 million one-shot revenue, funds hundreds of vacant jobs
November 12th, 2020 • 4 minute read
Dan Branda formally announced his virtual “front-porch” campaign for Westchester County Executive on Thursday. Branda, a Republican from…
Dan Branda formally announced his virtual “front-porch” campaign for Westchester County Executive on Thursday. Branda, a Republican from…
Dan Branda formally announced his virtual “front-porch” campaign for Westchester County Executive on Thursday. Branda, a Republican from Somers, intends to unseat current County Executive George Latimer in 2021 with an agenda that includes a commitment to reduce the property tax burden and an open, bi-partisan government while investing in county infrastructureand effective constituent service programs.
“I am running for Westchester County Executive because I want to raise my children here,” Branda said. “However, Westchester is simply unaffordable for too many—including us. The crushing burdens of property taxes and housing costs are proving to be outright barriers for seniors to remain in their homes, for a young family like mine to stay here and settle into a home of our own, for young professionals looking to live in the county where they grew up or currently work, or for anyone simply seeking the opportunities that Westchester offers.”
Acknowledging the limitations of a traditional campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic, Branda said he plans to run a virtual front-porch campaign that aggressively interacts with voters across multiple media channels.
Branda’s expansive agenda admittedly goes beyond the County Executive’s powers and duties by requiring him to advocate at the state and federal level while building a local coalition of schools, municipalities, businesses, and non-profits to deliver a strong and inclusive local government that reflects Westchester’s values and meets its needs.
The agenda, which will be fully released in the coming months, includes:
Branda said that the property tax burden will be his most immediate concern because Westchester government is heading toward a financial crisis that will unfairly and irreparably harm its residents.
“Property taxes are completely disconnected from our ability to pay but can have a devastating impact on families, especially in today’s economic climate,” Branda said. “We’re seeing a combustible mix of high unemployment, economic recession, and feckless management of the government’s finances that could easily force untenable property tax increases: The county is facing an immediate and crushing $250 million budget deficit, unfunded long-term employment liabilities near $4 billion, and a deep cut to local aid by the Governor. People are going to lose their homes, or be evicted from their apartments, without a significant bailout from the federal government because George Latimer spent money he never had and now has no better plan.”
The general election for Westchester County Executive is November 2, 2021.
The County Executive serves a four-year term.
Dan Branda has been involved in Westchester County politics since 2009, serving as Executive Director in the State Assembly and State Senate for Greg Ball and as a policy advisor and Communications Specialist for County Executive Rob Astorino. Branda also served as Executive Director for Ball’s successful Senate campaigns in 2010 and 2012, and directed Field Operations for Astorino’s 2013 and 2017 County Executive campaigns. In 2020, Branda launched a digital marketing and web development business, Branding Company LLC. From 2018-2019, he served as Chairman of the Suffolk County Legislature’s Reduce County Spending Task Force and was the Policy Director at Reclaim New York, a non-profit good government organization.
Dan lives in Somers, NY, with his wife Julia and children Lucy and Jack.