Westchester County executive candidates Robert P. Astorino and Noam Bramson flung insults and criticized each other”™s records at a debate in White Plains Wednesday hosted by the Westchester County Association.
Astorino, the Republican incumbent seeking his second four-year term, took issue with his opponent accepting lifetime health benefits and voting to give himself a 40 percent pay increase to be paid $89,000 as mayor of the city of New Rochelle, an office Astorino said was a part-time, ceremonial position.
New Rochelle has a “weak mayor” form of government, in which a city manager handles daily administrative operations, but Bramson defended the amount of work and his level of dedication to the job and said he has voluntarily contributed 18 percent to his health care costs.
Astorino countered that taking a pay raise exhibited poor leadership during a financial crisis and budget crunch in the city that has led to a reduction in fire department and other city staff.
“You”™re lucky to keep your job,” Astorino said. “That”™s not the example to set.”
Bramson shot back, saying that Astorino had imposed on residents through cuts in child care programs and other social services. “I”™m wondering if you”™re showing up to work at all,” he said.
Somewhere beneath the accusations of cronyism and inflicting pain on their constituents, the second candidates’ debate, like the first, focused on the county”™s high taxes and their impact on the business community.
Astorino said under his watch, Westchester was a destination for companies once again. He said he had not raised taxes in his tenure and had reduced the tax levy in four years by $172 million, or 2 percent overall. Westchester was one of only four counties in the state that had reduced taxes in the last four years, Astorino said.
But Bramson said that Astorino has been solely focused on the county portion of a tax bill, which is roughly 20 percent of total property taxes paid.
He said Astorino has kept county spending down through painful cuts and has lacked a regional approach to sharing services that would reduce school, municipal and other property taxes. Astorino countered that he had made “tough decisions” and had done what he promised when running for office: rein in county spending and curb continued tax hikes.
The county executive went on the attack against Bramson”™s time in New Rochelle. During 16 years while Bramson was a councilman and then mayor, New Rochelle”™s taxes increased 109 percent, or an average of 7 percent per year, Astorino said.
Bramson responded that New Rochelle”™s budget has grown at an equal or slower rate than other large cities in the county.
The event was moderated by CBS Radio personality Steve Scott, who allowed for rebuttals to questions. He said later he felt as if he were part boxing referee and part parent during the debate, balancing when to let the candidates fight it out and when to separate them.
Election Day is Nov. 5.
