Why Nobody Wants to Run Against Him
Westchester County Executive George Latimer made it official on Jan. 11. that he will be seeking a second term. “I am announcing today that I am seeking a Second Term as County Executive…. with the new term limits law in place, this would be my final term if elected.We’ve done a lot, in a difficult time….but we have more to do. And we can accomplish these things – together,” said Latimer in a short video posted online.
Latimer has served Westchester in the middle of a pandemic. This is uncharted territory, as he likes to say, and he is right, not only for county government but for all of our lives, jobs, and most important the health of our families.
So there is little time for Latimer to make a large campaign kickoff announcement, especially when the Westchester County Center becomes a COVID vaccine location and tens of thousands of county residents are ready to get their shot.
Latimer made the announcement now because the political calendar in NY State has moved all dates and deadlines up; conventions are held at the end of Jan, and candidates have to go out and get signatures in Feb. and March. The whole process is over in April and the democratic primary, which many now be the most important election in Westchester, will take place this year on June 22.
With just a few weeks left for a candidate to step forward, nobody wants to run against George Latimer. Not a progressive democrat, nor a republican.
The rumors that State Senator Alessandra Biaggi would challenge Latimer from the left are FALSE, she is not running for county executive, nor has anyone to the left of Latimer. County Clerk Tim Idoni is facing such a challenge, from Yonkers City Councilwoman Shanae Williams.
One republican had stepped forward to challenge Latimer last fall. His name was Dan Branda, a relatively unknown, former staff member to the prior County Exec. Rob Astorino.
Branda, who lives in Somers, was the only republican to toss his hat out into the ring, and for several months in 2020, he had the spotlight to himself and tried to gain some traction with several press releases, (including one that backed the accuser of Gov. Andrew Cuomo for sexual assault), but nothing gained any serious media attention.
Perhaps that is why Branda is now out of the race for County Exec., accoridng to published reports, where he stated that he was pursiing “a family opportunity,” and was no longer a candidate.
This leaves no republican candidate to challenge Latimer. There are only a few republicans left in Westchester that have the Gravitas to challenge Latimer. And most believe that those few republicans have watched Latimer’s service as County Executive and determined that the risk and hard work required, during a pandemic to challenge him does not equal the long-shot reward of beating him on Nov. 2.
President Donald Trump has cast a dark cloud over the Westchester GOP, and the recent attacks on the Capitol have made that cloud even darker. Remember that last year, the Republican candidate for District Attorney, in the middle of a countywide election, quit.
In addition to his leadership as a “wartime consigliere” during COVID, Latimer has other notable achievements to present to the voters of Westchester. The most notable is passing two county budgets that DO NOT raise property taxes, including a 2021 budget that has a 0% tax increase after lower reveunes from 2020-COVID.
Latimer promised not to raise property taxes if the sales tax were increased two years ago. He could have gone back on that promise because of COVID, but he kept his word, and in doing so, has taken away the republicans best argument, that democrats can’t control spending and will raise your taxes.
Latimer just did the opposite; county spending is down in the 2021 budget from 2020 and county property taxes will not be raised. He has taken the “Astorino’ argument about property taxes off the table.
And by the way, Astorino lost his State Senate race, which was the last hope for many Westchester republcians to hold onto any viablilty for the GOP. “The combination of Astorino’s loss, a county budget with a 0% tax increase, and Latimer’s popularity, has every republican saying thanks but no thanks to this race,” said one Westchester republican elected official. “I wish Doug Colety (West. GOP Chairman) good luck finding soemone. At least Dan Branda was a placeholder on the ballot.”
Latimer has other achievements in county government to talk about if anyone is interested. Breaking ground at Memorial Field in Mt. Vernon, re-opening Sprain Ridge Pool, a new family courthouse in New Rochelle, and banning gun shows at the county center, are just a few.
Latimer is also a great campaigner, he loves the fight, and if his opponent wants to slug it out –he’s more than happy to do so. He now serves as the senior statesmen for westchester democrats and has good relationships with progressie and indivisble members of his party.
Most impotant, he has found an effective balance during COVID of showing empathy, while calling out anyone who isn’t wearing a mask or helping Westchester stay safe. I found only one political consultant in Westchester who thought that Latimer was beatable, or at least deserved an opponent. But he couldn’t give me a name.
