John Testa, the county legislator whose district includes parts of Peekskill, Cortlandt and Yonkers, will lead the Board of Legislators Republican minority caucus for the next two years.
Testa is serving his second term on the county board after a six year stint as mayor of Peekskill last decade.
“The confidence placed in my by the members of my caucus is one that I take very seriously and I look forward to a productive, positive and collaborative effort for the next two years,” Testa said following the announcement.
Testa will replace Jim Maisano, a 16-year incumbent who represents New Rochelle and Pelham.
Maisano, who served four years as minority leader, is expected to be voted in as the new vice chairman of the board at its meeting Monday. Though Republicans are in the minority on the 17-member board, a coalition majority was formed with the seven county board Republicans and Democrats Virginia Perez and Michael Kaplowitz. Kaplowitz is to be the new board chairman.
Returning as minority whip is Gordon Burrows, who represents a district that includes Bronxville and a Republican-leaning area of Yonkers.
“The word ‘bipartisan’ is not just a campaign term, it is a commitment to working together, even when we disagree,” Burrows said. “It means focusing on our shared goal of governing efficiently instead of our political and philosophical differences.”
Democrats have already named their caucus leaders for the next legislative session, with Ossining”™s Catherine Borgia the new majority leader and Lyndon Williams the new majority whip. They are replacing Peter Harckham and MaryJane Shimsky, respectively.
It is unclear how many members of the Democratic caucus, if any, will vote with the coalition in favor of Kaplowitz”™s chairmanship. Although Kaplowitz and Perez are members of the coalition, they are expected to remain active with their party”™s caucus.
UPDATED Jan. 6: Quotes from Testa and Gordon Burrows were added to the article.
