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Located just north of New York City, Westchester is home to 45 cities, towns and villages. Westchester's rich landscape ranges from flourishing urban centers to quiet rural landscapes bordered by the shores of the Long Island Sound and the Hudson River. The thriving business community coupled with numerous arts venues, museums and historical sites makes Westchester a wonderfully diverse place to live and visit. My family and I are proud to call Westchester our home.
Investing in Transportation and Infrastructure
Westchester is the gateway to Upstate New York and a vital link in the State’s transportation system. It is also home to many commuters who travel to New York City every day. Reducing congestion and keeping our infrastructure strong is crucial to maintaining the region’s prosperity and quality of life.
Encouraging improvements in mass transit is one way to help ease the pressure on our roads. I have been a strong supporter of Amtrak and the proposed Trans-Hudson Express (THE) Tunnel Project. I also was pleased to recently announce new federal funding for Westchester’s Bee-Line Bus System’s Low Emission/ADA Accessible Replacement Buses project to replace out-dated buses that will decrease emissions, and give residents a cleaner, greener ride. In 2006 I welcomed new JetBlue service to the Hudson Valley’s Stewart Airport Stewart International Airport and I continue to work to secure federal funds for improvements at Westchester County Airport.
Providing Disaster Relief
In recent years Westchester and the Hudson Valley has been hit hard by destructive floods. I have stood with residents, businesses, and communities as they assessed the damage and started to rebuild. I joined local and federal officials to visit the affected areas after floods in 2006 and 2007 and worked to secure federal aid for farmers, homeowners, and infrastructure. I have also pushed the federal authorities to redraft their flood plain maps to reduce the risk of flooding in the future.
Improving Indian Point
The safety and security of Westchester residents will always be my priority. I have worked to push both the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Entergy to improve safety, security and emergency preparedness at the Indian Point nuclear power plant. MORE ON INDIAN POINT »
Standing with Our Veterans
I believe there is no more important way of honoring our veterans than to ensure they receive quality health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Indeed, I think we should have guaranteed funding for the VA. At this critical time, we should be expanding, not reducing veterans’ options for care. That is why I strongly urged the VA to reconsider moving the domiciliary services currently provided at the Montrose VA Hospital to the Castle Point facility. I made it clear time and again that the Hospital should retain its original services to ensure our Hudson Valley veterans receive the highest level of care available. MORE ON VETERANS »
Engaging the Community
In 2003 I launched I was proud to serve as keynote speaker in 2007 at the Fifth Annual Not-For-Profit Leadership Summit in Rye, an innovative community effort that I helped launch in 2003 along with United Way and the Westchester Community Foundation. It was great to see over 900 volunteers and professional leaders come together to discuss challenges, opportunities and leadership strategies in the non-profit sector. This important event includes workshops and roundtable discussions on topics such as marketing, development and coalition-building.
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