Rob Astorino”™s 2010 swearing in as Westchester County executive was welcomed by many business leaders who viewed the county as an increasingly unfriendly place to do business.
The county, which regularly pays the highest average property taxes in the nation, saw a median tax bill of $9,945 in 2010, up 10 percent from 2009, according to U.S. Census figures. Large corporations were abandoning their sprawling office parks, enticed by other states pushing for commercial clients. As many as 10,000 private-sector jobs left Westchester in the four years prior to Astorino”™s election, according to the administration.
Astorino, a Republican seeking his second four-year term, said he has helped end the business exodus, with 27,000 private-sector jobs having been added since he was elected. “It”™s a place to actually settle down, do business, create jobs, expand or stay here when they were thinking of leaving,” he said.
But Democrat Noam Bramson, who is looking to unseat Astorino, said the administration has handcuffed county planning and zoning departments through a downsizing of resources and has only reaped some rewards of a broader national economic recovery. Bramson said the key to more job creation is to re-strengthen county planning and zoning to encourage development by the local municipalities. “This is not mission accomplished,” he said.
Bramson, who is the mayor of the city of New Rochelle, said that the county needed to encourage more shared services for local municipalities and school districts, which would reduce overall property tax bills rather than just the county portion of the tax bill, which makes up roughly 20 percent on an entire bill. Astorino has reduced the county tax levy by 2 percent since being elected, but Bramson said a lack of leadership meant that the overall tax bills continue to grow. Astorino”™s own tax bill in Mount Pleasant has increased by $3,000 since 2009, Bramson said.
Astorino was elected in 2009 despite facing longtime incumbent Andy Spano in a county where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 110,000 voters. The election, called by some political insiders and members of the press the biggest upset in county political history, came after county government was under scrutiny for perceived excesses. Several movements sought to significantly downsize the branch of government or even eliminate it altogether (neighboring Connecticut is among the states without county government). At the time, Spano campaigned not only by listing accomplishments but on the need for county government to exist.
Today, Astorino said his job is not to dismantle the county branch but make it efficient and cost-effective. “We are here and we are staying,” he said. “Let”™s become leaner.”
Bramson has said that his opponent has been too conservative, both fiscally and socially ”“ the challenger has focused much of his campaign on portraying Astorino as a tea party extremist who has cut social programs. “There have been more gun shows than there have been shared-services symposiums,” Bramson said.
Astorino said that the county has played a role advocating for businesses. When PepsiCo planned to leave its Purchase headquarters, Astorino said he lobbied the state against then-Gov. David Paterson”™s proposed soda tax, which was ultimately rejected. PepsiCo, with its 1,100 jobs, ended up staying in Westchester through some enticements from the county”™s Industrial Development Agency. The company is now investing $250 million into rebuilding its corporate campus.
Westchester”™s IDA in 2010 supported 85 projects that received net tax exemptions totaling about $13.1 million, a gain of roughly 8,600 jobs. Astorino said outside of the large companies that receive tax abatements and deals from the county, Westchester has established a local development corporation that can supply tax-exempt financing for smaller businesses in the county. But most of all, keeping the tax bill down is the best way to keep the county”™s business community happy, Astorino said.
Bramson said not enough had been done ”“ all one had to do was look around and see that many of those abandoned corporate office parks are still without tenants. “We have got 6 million square feet of vacant office space in Westchester County, we have extraordinary brain drain ”“ the generation between 25 and 45 (years old) that”™s leaving the region in droves,” he said. “That is our future.”
Bramson said not only has Astorino lacked regional leadership, but that he has cost taxpayers through a contentious relationship with the Democrat-run Board of Legislators that has sued Astorino several times. Bramson also noted $17 million in federal funding being withheld due to what the federal government says is a lack of compliance over the terms of a 2009 settlement in which Westchester is to build 750 units of affordable housing by 2016.
Astorino said he continues to fight the federal government to protect towns and villages”™ home rule from an overreach. He said Bramson”™s record on economic development in New Rochelle was flawed, with several projects such as the Avalon development not providing the revitalization they were meant to.
The county executive is paid an annual salary of $160,670. The election is Nov. 5, when all 17 county legislator seats will also be decided.
