County Executive Rob Astorino and the Republicans on the Board of Legislators continue to push for privatization of the Westchester County Airport, exposing taxpayers to TENS OF BILLIONS (with a “B”) of dollars in potential environmental clean-up costs—just so he can plug a 15 million dollar gap in this year’s operating budget and promote his “brand” as a tax freezer for his re-election bid this year and his renewed run for Governor next year.
As we see in his efforts to keep the problem-plagued Indian Point nuclear reactor open, and run a fracked-gas pipeline alongside it and seismic fault lines, Astorino fails as a steward of fragile ecosystems. He fails to keep the 10 million people downwind of Indian Point safe from a potential nuclear disaster and he fails to protect our drinking water at Kensico from toxic waste resulting from construction of new Airport runways and buildings.
Legislator Marcotte remains a full partner of Astorino in his privatization schemes—but we know better, and can make a difference this November come election time.
A progressive Westchester County government could be providing leadership on the environment front, for example by advocating for clean energy as many of our towns and cities are doing on their own and in concert with the Sustainable Westchester coalition. If elected, these are the kinds of real, effective, and sound solutions I would be encouraging our County to make.