Ken Jenkins, the outgoing chairman of the Board of Legislators, had harsh words about local Republicans – and a fellow Democrat likely to be his successor for the chairmanship.
In a Dec. 6 letter to northern Westchester Democrats, Jenkins, a Yonkers Democrat, bashed Somers Legislator Michael Kaplowitz. Kaplowitz and Democrat Virginia Perez joined a coalition with the board’s seven Republicans that announced Dec. 19 that it would vote in Kaplowitz as the board’s chairman for 2014-15.
In his letter, Jenkins bashes Kaplowitz and his relationship with the administration of County Executive Rob Astorino, att one point saying Kaplowitz was “carrying Astorino”™s water” to the Democratic caucus.
Jenkins wrote that Kaplowitz had called Astorino”™s November re-election victory a win for bipartisanship.
“There was nothing bipartisan about Astorino”™s win,” the letter said. “The main issue in the race for county executive was taxes. The second issue was the (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) settlement, which was done by Republicans in their normal racist literature.”
Under the terms of the settlement, the county agreed to build 750 units of affordable housing in some of the county”™s richest ”“ and statistically whitest ”“ communities. Astorino, who inherited that settlement from his predecessor, former County Executive Andy Spano, has come into conflict with the federal government over implementation of the settlement, saying he was defending local home rule and protecting the rights of towns, villages and cities to make their own zoning decisions. Astorino won re-election in November over Democratic challenger Noam Bramson, despite a nearly 2-to-1 disadvantage in Democrat to Republican voter registration in Westchester.
Jenkins, who is African-American, said in his letter that he had addressed “the elephant in the room, the issue people are uncomfortable with, the question of race.” Coalition members dismissed the insinuation their bipartisan majority was racially motivated and declined to address Jenkins”™ comments specifically.
It isn”™t clear if Democrats other than Kaplowitz and Perez will join the coalition or vote in favor of Kaplowitz”™s chairmanship.
Of the 17-member board in 2013-14, 15 are incumbents. Rye”™s Catherine Parker and White Plains”™ Benjamin Boykin II, will be sworn in to replace retiring legislators Judy Myers and William Ryan, respectively. Both newcomers are backed by the Democratic Party.
The board will vote in new leadership Jan. 6.
