Special election to fill county executive seat

Feb 10

Written By HVNY

Westchester’s first Black executive faces former chief advisor

A special election to name the next Westchester County Executive will take place on Tuesday February 11, 2025. Polls will be open from 6am to 9pm. Find your polling place.

Democratic nominee Ken Jenkins, who is currently filling the role as county executive after George Latimer was elected to Congress, is facing off against Republican Christine Sculti.

Jenkins was appointed County Executive by the Westchester County Board of Legislators after serving as Deputy County Executive under George Latimer since January 1, 2018. Jenkins, a Westchester County resident for the past 43 years, made history in January when he was sworn-in as Westchester’s first-ever Black county executive.

Since taking over as county executive, Jenkins has signed a bill into law that provides free Westchester County Park Passes to U.S. military veterans residing in the county, and a first-of-its-kind initiative at the Westchester County Jail: offering inmates the ability to call their attorneys for free.

“Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and has the same right to access qualified legal representation, regardless of their economic status,” Jenkins said. “We want to ensure that residents at the jail feel supported when navigating the legal system, and no one should be at a disadvantage because of the cost of a phone call. This initiative guarantees a level playing field for everyone during this challenging time.”

While Sculti has never held political office, she was the chief advisor to former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, and has served as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Westchester County Taxi & Limousine Commission, and Assistant to the Mayor of Yonkers. She currently works as Deputy Commissioner of the Westchester County Board of Elections.

Sculti says she will use the executive position to continue opposing congestion pricing in New York City, and claims Jenkins “celebrated passage of the law he sponsored as a county legislator to make Westchester a dangerous Sanctuary County. Since then, untold numbers of violent criminal illegal aliens have enjoyed special protections in Westchester, set free to commit more crimes in our communities.” She notes she will send a bill to repeal the law, and “issue an Executive Order requiring cooperation between the county’s Department of Public Safety and Department of Correction with the federal government to detain, remove and deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens.” She also seeks to establish a county Office for Parental Rights to “stand up to radical ideologies” including “protecting girls and sports from being hijacked by biological males.”

Results for the special election will be available after 9pm on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at https://citizenparticipation.westchestergov.com/election-results

Candidate websites:
https://jenkinsforwestchester.com/meet-ken-jenkins/
https://christineforcountyexecutive.com/issues/

Voting resources:
https://www.vote411.org/ballot