In Westchester, tough times demand action

This may seem like the worst of times. Numerous corporate and personal bankruptcies, high taxes, government scandals and a tremendous amount of finger-pointing. We are faced with high unemployment, huge federal, state, county and municipal deficits, and seemingly never-ending wars against terrorism that force us to put our children and the future of our best and brightest in harm”™s way. It”™s as if there is bad news and negativity everywhere we turn.

But what about the facts?

Westchester County is 30 minutes from, arguably, the greatest city in the world. We have a fantastic transportation infrastructure. Our road system is far superior to that of our neighbors in Connecticut, and Westchester offers Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Metro-North train service ”“ three train lines compared to Connecticut”™s one.

Westchester has world-class public and private schools, as well as a wide range of stellar higher education institutions, all helping us develop a highly educated work force for employers to tap should they choose to locate their businesses here.
We have a tremendously supportive and generous corporate community and a dedicated, hard-working, sophisticated not-for-profit community that contribute a tremendous amount to our economy.

 

We have unparalleled access to the finest parks, recreation options and arts offerings; some of the top golf courses in the world are in our backyard; and we maintain a wide variety of fantastic housing options in our communities.

 

And, most inspiring, we have so much to build on. There”™s no shortage of exceptional real estate featuring class A office buildings. Our cities have been revitalized and offer the diversity, culture and entertainment that will attract talented employees and keep our young people in Westchester.

In addition to a budding biotech cluster, we also have a strong base in the financial services and real estate industries, and are home to several Fortune 100 headquarters. County government”™s renewed commitment to economic development and focus on marketing has brought optimism to our business community.

Westchester is the best place to live and do business. But, we have work to do if we want it to remain that way. We need to join together to find and create solutions to our common challenges.

Each and every voter should be aware of the difficulties we face, and find a way to get involved and work on the issues that concern us. If you have had it with taxes, vote for people who share your concern. If school taxes are driving you crazy, run for the school board or show your support for those that do. If you benefit from all that our beautiful county has to offer, it is your responsibility to support the institutions that made it this way and will keep it this way.

The opportunity to change what we don”™t like and maintain the high quality of life we hold dear is there for all of us. Let”™s find ways to get involved, make our voices heard and most importantly, work together. After all, we need each other now more than ever.

Christopher O”™Callaghan is managing director of Cushman & Wakefield Inc. and chairman of the board of The Business Council of Westchester. Reach him at christopher.ocallaghan@cushwake.com.