The Westchester County Board of Legislators has formed a task force to identify and find ways to overcome financial pressures that are affecting businesses and residents in the county. It’s known as the Affordability and Economic Development Task Force. Inaugural members include: John Ravitz, executive vice president and COO of the Business Council of Westchester; Michael N. Romita, president and CEO of the Westchester County Association; Kenny Burgos, CEO of New York Apartment Association; and Jan Fisher, executive director of Nonprofit Westchester.
The task force will be bringing together stakeholders and experts to explore economic development, job creation, energy prices, housing, transportation, small business opportunities, and food costs.
Board of Legislators Chairman Vedat Gashi said, “We normally tackle questions through the committee process but this is an instance where the committee process wasn’t exactly tackling the problems that we’re dealing with. Across Westchester working families, seniors and businesses are facing real financial strain. We hear that every day. Families and businesses are struggling and we need to take action to protect and strengthen our communities.”
Gashi described the approach as bringing the “right people to the table, listen closely and come up with practical solutions.”
Gashi named Legislator Colin D. Smith to lead the task force.
“The unemployment rate in Westchester remains low, around 3.6%,” Smith said. “And that’s good, but it also means that our employers are competing for workers in one of the highest cost regions in the country. And with tens of thousands of businesses across Westchester affordability is not abstract. It affects our workers, our customers, our nonprofits, our small businesses and our long-term economic future. That is why this task force matters.”
Smith said that the first goal will be to identify what is actually driving costs in the county such as housing, energy, transportation, workforce constraints, and the cost of doing business. He said that the idea is to use real information to develop real solutions, beginning with practical recommendations to support small and mid-sized businesses to help them grow in Westchester, stay in Westchester and create jobs in the county.
“We want to make clear that affordability and economic growth are not competing goals,” Smith said. “They rise and fall together. A more affordable Westchester is a more competitive Westchester. We will focus on workforce stability because if people cannot afford to live here businesses will not thrive here.”
Ravitz said, “As Westchester County’s largest business membership organization that focuses on economic development and advocacy the Business Council of Westchester welcomes the opportunity to be a member of the Board of Legislator’s Affordability and Economic Development Task Force. If we are going to recruit and retain businesses to Westchester, we must develop solutions to deal with affordability challenges.”
Fisher said, “As we work to build a county where all people can enjoy its opportunities and natural beauty, we must ensure that the nonprofit workforce — those who give so much to support our neighbors and strengthen the social and economic fabric of our county — are not pushed to the margins. Addressing affordability is critical to an equitable, resilient Westchester where everyone, including our essential workforce and the people seeking our services, have the chance to belong and succeed.”
According to Romita, “County government has a critical responsibility to strengthen our economy while addressing affordability for our residents, workers, and businesses. This initiative will help ensure our legislators receive valuable input from business and industry leaders to inform policy decisions.”
