County Legislator James Nolan on the campaign trail
By Dan Murphy
County Legislator James Nolan is the only republican on the Westchester BOL. Another legislator, Margaret Cunzio, is a conservative, with the other 15 legislators Democrats.
Nolan was elected five years ago. He also works on a truck for the Yonkers Department of Public Works.
Nolan fits into the MAGA world of republicans; he calls them like he sees them and will speak out whenever he thinks the time is right.
Nolan is also a proud union member of Teamsters Local 456, and several other Westchester unions back his campaign.
Nolan is also one of Westchester’s hardest-working campaigners. He and his supporters will knock on thousands of doors in the 15th District, which Nolan represents (East Yonkers, Bronxville, Tuckahoe, Eastchester).
We mention all of Nolan’s attributes as Democrats hope to defeat him in less than a month, with Yonkers Democrat Kisha Skipper as his challenger.
Westchester ‘Democrats’ annoyance with Nolan resurfaced last week when Nolan proposed giving members of the Westchester County Probation Department a new benefit: a retirement plan after 25 years.
“I am proud to formally propose a Home Rule Request to establish a special 25-year retirement plan for Westchester County Probation Department Probation Officers.
“Our probation officers perform an essential public-safety role every day. They supervise individuals convicted of serious crimes, conduct home and field visits, investigate violations, enforce court-ordered conditions, and work alongside our police departments and courts, often in difficult and potentially dangerous situations.
“New York State has already recognized similar public-safety professionals with comparable 25-year retirement plans. I believe our Westchester County probation peace officers deserve the same consideration.
“I am asking my colleagues on the Board of Legislators to join me in supporting this proposal. This should not be a partisan issue. It is about doing what is right for the men and women who dedicate their careers to protecting our communities. They show up for Westchester every day. Now it is our turn to show up for them.
“P.S. This proposal was NOT done collaboratively with CSEA 9200 President and leadership. I proposed this after working with the Westchester County Probation Association. CSEA Local 9200 cannot take credit for this and shouldn’t! “said Nolan.
Responding to Nolan was Westchester County Communications Director Catherine Cioffi, who stated,
“At a time when Westchester County is facing unprecedented fiscal pressures, Legislator James Nolan is introducing yet another proposal that would place additional financial burdens on County taxpayers. The Trump Administration’s changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are already expected to shift approximately $6 million in additional costs onto Westchester County taxpayers. Six million dollars means a 1% property tax increase.
“Earlier this year, the Administration reviewed the request from the CSEA to opt-in to the 25-year retirement plan for County Probation Officers. The research indicates that only two large and five small counties have opted to implement this benefit since its adoption by NYS. After careful analysis, we advised the CSEA that adopting this plan is cost-prohibitive for the County. Specifically, the County cannot absorb the required reimbursement payments to the New York State & Local Retirement System.
“The Administration advised the CSEA in July that the Union is welcome to raise this as a subject of negotiations upon the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement. If it does so, this issue will be considered, in conjunction with other proposals raised by the CSEA and County, to the extent required by the Taylor Law.
“Finally, the financial impact of recent changes to Tier 6 must be factored into the budget discussion.
“Nolan making this proposal a month prior to the 2027 Proposed Operating Budget release is fiscally irresponsible,” said Cioffi.
In our view, Nolan’s and Cioffi’s statements can both be true. It was politically wise for Nolan to make this proposal less than a month before election day. It strengthened his support among law enforcement and the union community.
We also don’t understand how Westchester County Probation officers never got into the NYS retirement system. If teachers, firefighters, police, and thousands of county workers get a pension after 25 years, why not probation officers? This is Nolan’s argument, and it has merit.
But we also understand and agree with Cioffi’s comments, with the understanding that they are coming at the behest of County Executive Ken Jenkins. Jenkins has always been a Westchester Democrat concerned about the county budget’s bottom line: what will the next property tax be? When he was BOL Chair many moons ago, Jenkins cut county property taxes by 2% with then County Executive Rob Astorino.
Jenkins and the BOL are also coming off a budget passed last year that raised county property taxes by 3.7%
We also agree with Cioffi that Nolan’s proposal is fiscally irresponsible because it lacks a cost-benefit analysis. Based on her statement, the cost would be too high to implement while keeping county property taxes under control.
Another issue is that Nolan’s plan will never reach the BOL for a vote, because Nolan has no power to move legislation forward. He needs 9 votes, and right now it’s only him and Legislator Cunzio, who frequently works with county Democrats. But even Cunzio faces an opponent this year, after years without opposition, in Democrat Michael Peppard.
This all fits into a plan by Westchester Democrats to WIN IT ALL and take every office currently occupied by a Westchester Republican, and there ain’t that many left.
We understand that when a Democrat steps forward to run for office, those in power in the Democratic Party have no real choice but to back their campaign against the Republican.
But if you ask many dems quietly whether they want to defeat all Republicans, some would say no; it is better to have some opposition with little or no power.
We also know that many of the same Westchester Democrats would say the #1 annoying Republican in county government is Legislator James Nolan, and they can’t wait to see him go.
But that will require more support, funding, and campaign work on the trail with Democrat Kisha Skipper, who just had a well-attended fundraiser this week.
Or maybe the belief is that, with Governor Kathy Hochul on top of the ticket this year after changing NYS Election law, Democrats are hoping a Blue Wave of Democratic support will wash away candidates like James Nolan and other Westchester Republicans.
Good luck with that. Legislator James Nolan will be knocking on your door soon or working on the garbage truck on your street in Yonkers.