Branda, Gashi clash in battle for northern Westchester County legislative seat
Somers Republican Dan Branda wants to unseat Vedat Gashi, D-Yorktown, who has chaired the Westchester County Board of Legislators during a tumultuous term, which saw its former chairman deposed, and the resignation of its majority leader.
But Gashi, who is seeking his third term, says his accomplishments this past term should resonate with voters. That includes Gashi’s leadership in reducing the county’s tax levy, plus a county law that requires restaurants to train employees in the dangers of food allergies.
So it goes in the hard-fought battle for leadership in the county’s District 4, which includes parts of Somers, Yorktown and Ossining.
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Branda, 44, said it’s time for new ideas in county government.
Branda is a veteran in the trenches of New York public affairs. He worked as an aide to state Assemblyman Greg Ball, worked in the communications office of former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, and served as policy director for Reclaim NY, a right-leaning state watchdog organization.
Branda has proposed doubling the county’s $25 million contribution to Westchester Community College’s budget to lower tuition costs, funded through the elimination of an estimated 250 vacant jobs whose salaries and benefits are funded by county taxpayers.
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Among his proposals is a change in the county charter to create the elected position of county comptroller to provide more oversight on the spending of Westchester’s $2.6 billion budget.
“Dutchess, Nassau and Suffolk counties all have comptrollers,” said Branda. “It provides another person accountable to the voters who would have oversight over county finances.”
Gashi, who grew up Yorktown, returned here in 2017 after living in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He was elected to the county board in 2019 and re-elected in 2021. A Yorktown-based real estate attorney, Gashi also is part-owner of a 25-unit apartment building in the Bronx. He wants the county to do more with infrastructure to address the demands of climate change, facilitate economic development by improving working conditions, and reduce sources of pollution.
Gashi spokesman Reggie Johnson questioned Branda’s plan to eliminate yet-to-be-specified vacant county positions to fund the boost in taxpayer support for Westchester Community College.
“Community college funding has increased substantially during Gashi’s tenure,” said Johnson. “The fact that Branda intends to cut funding to first responders and other essential services for the sake of yet another campaign gimmick underscores the reality that he is not ready to lead.”
Branda, however, said he has not proposed cutting funding to first responders.
He said he has targeted the lard in County Executive George Latimer's $2.6 billion budget. County spokeswoman Catherine Cioffi says Westchester has 507 job vacancies − representing 10% of the county workforce. Taxpayers get dinged for an estimated $50 million of tax levy in budgeted salary and benefits that are never paid.
Cut Latimer's phantom army in half, says Branda, and apply the savings to tuition aid at Westchester County College.
"Intentionally vacant jobs left in the budget to hold money – that’s the definition of fat," said Branda. "If you haven't filled them in a year, what are your plans to fill them?"
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Did county taxes go up or down?
Gashi is among the Westchester elected officials who like to say that they are cutting taxes.
Gashi touts the $6 million reduction the tax levy for the county's operating budget as proof that taxes are going down.
Said Gashi: "As chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, I made sure every budget reduced property taxes without reducing services and earned upgrades to our county bond ratings."
Branda, however, said that Gashi fails to add in the $19 million increase in the county property tax levy for its long-starved sewer and water districts. These are essential regional public service infrastructure that serves as the backbone of Westchester County.
That increase raised the overall property tax levy from $716 million to $724 million in 2023, according to budget documents.
"Vedat is saying something that is fundamentally not true," said Branda. "County taxes did not go down. The special districts matter. It's a piece of the county tax levy and it's a county service that touches the most lives in Westchester."
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David McKay Wilson writes about tax issues and government accountability. Follow him on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email him at dwilson3@lohud.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Branda, Gashi clash in race for Westchester County Board of Legislators
