Statement from Westchester County Communications Director Catherine Cioffi in response to a recent statement from Congressman Mike Lawler about a contract for Westchester County Police officers:
“It takes an extraordinary level of hypocrisy for Mike Lawler to lecture anyone in Westchester County about public safety, responsible government or protecting working people. This is a ‘Congressman’ who has stood with Donald Trump while his administration decimated the federal workforce and dismantled critical government services. This is a ‘Congressman’ who has cast votes that have made food, gas and health care more expensive for the very families he claims to represent. And now, apparently desperate for another political headline, Lawler has decided to manufacture a public safety crisis in Westchester that simply does not exist.
“Every unit within the County’s Department of Public Safety has appropriate supervision and is overseen by a Captain. There are currently 43 Sergeants in the Department; when the five vacancies are filled, there will be 48. More importantly, Westchester County is safer today than when Lawler served in the Astorino administration, and the Department is funded at the highest level ever. Those are not political talking points – but facts, backed by budgets, staffing levels and public safety data.
“We respect collective bargaining, and we remain committed to reaching a fair resolution. Unfortunately, Lawler appears more interested in following the Trump political playbook: repeat a falsehood loudly enough from a soapbox and hope voters mistake it for the truth.
“Maybe instead of lecturing Westchester County about how to run a government, Lawler should spend some time explaining everything he has done in Washington – and why Westchester families are paying the price for it.”