BOL Chair Vedat Gashi, his wife Vjosa, and their children, Leka and Hana
On May 15, the Westchester County Board of Legislators elected Vedat Gashi as the new Chairperson of the County legislature. Gashi, who represents District 4, was elected to the position by his fellow legislators in a vote of 17-0.
Gashi brings a unique set of life experiences to the position. Born in Kosovo, at the age of 4, he and his family fled the oppressive, socialist regime to the United States. Since then he has been a resident of Westchester County for over two decades. He earned a B.A. from Connecticut College, where he was invited to serve on the Board of Trustees as a Young Alumni Trustee. Next, Vedat earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University. During his studies, Vedat interned for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, then at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and Congressman Lee Hamilton on the House International Relations Committee.
Gashi takes over as Chair following the resignation of Catherine Borgia, who had served as Chairperson from January 2022 until late April 2023, and the interim leadership of Vice Chair Nancy Barr immediately thereafter. His election makes him the first person of Albanian-American descent and the first person of the Muslim faith to become Chair of the Board of Legislators in its three-hundred-year history.
In accepting the position, Gashi expressed his gratitude to his colleagues on the Board for their support. “I am honored to have been chosen to lead this distinguished body,” he said. “I look forward to working with my fellow legislators to address the challenges facing our County, and to ensure that Westchester remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”
