[4:40] >> friends this week in the jewish

[4:42] community, we begin our reading and

[4:43] study of

[4:44] the biblical book of exodus. As the

[4:45] book

[4:47] begins, we're introduced to a new

[4:48] pharaoh who did not

[4:51] know joseph, whose ability to interpret dreams

[4:53] and act accordingly saved egypt from

[4:54] a great famine. This

[4:57] pharaoh goes on to oppress and enslave

[4:58] the people of

[4:59] israel, setting in motion the events of

[5:00] the

[5:02] book. This biblical story reminds

[5:03] us of

[5:05] the tremendous power leaders have.

[5:06] the power to create and to

[5:08] destroy, to bring people together

[5:09] or to drive them apart, to liberate or to oppress.

[5:18] eternal god,

[5:20] as we gather this evening at the start of a

[5:21] new term,

[5:23] keep its members ever mindful of the

[5:24] sacred task before them.

[5:27] give them the patience, the humility, the

[5:29] courage, and the strength to perform

[5:30] their duties

[5:33] wisely and well. Implant within them

[5:34] a

[5:36] listening heart and an open mind.

[5:37] inspire

[5:38] them to improve our county for the

[5:39] benefit of all of

[5:42] its residents. May all who call this

[5:43] place home

[5:45] find safety, opportunity, love,

[5:48] and freedom here.

[5:57] >> we will now

[6:00] welcome reverend

[6:02] irwin, calvary baptist of white plains, new

[6:03] york, to offer our final invocation.

[6:06] >> a

[6:09] citizens' prayer for the west kester

[6:10] county board

[6:12] of legislators. I lift up the members

[6:15] of westchester county board of legislators

[6:16] as

[6:18] they begin this new year of service.

[6:19] may they

[6:20] be granted a vision that spans from

[6:22] the

[6:25] hills ofof north to the cities

[6:26] of the the south, seeing the unique

[6:28] needs of every

[6:30] resident. I pray that as they take

[6:34] their seats of

[6:40] government,

[6:46] remembering they hold

[6:48] the public trust. I pray their debate

[6:49] be

[6:51] marked by civility and a conclusion

[6:54] toward fairness. May they prioritize the least

[6:57] among us, ensuring the marginalized

[6:58] find a

[6:59] champion in this chamber. Grant them

[7:01] the patience to

[7:03] listen deeply and the wisdom to act

[7:04] decisively

[7:07] for the common good. I pray

[7:09] for their integrity, keep them steadfast in

[7:10] the

[7:11] pursuit of good governance, protect

[7:13] them from the pressures of

[7:15] the extreme, and guide them instead

[7:18] towards what is right and just for the

[7:19] long term.

[7:25] I pray for their discernment,

[7:26] that they may see beyond the immediate

[7:28] into the long-term

[7:30] well-being of all the residents of

[7:31] westchester.

[7:34] I pray for their

[7:36] empathy, that the voices of the vulnerable

[7:37] and

[7:40] the undeserved remain at the

[7:41] forefront of their deliberation. And

[7:43] I pray for their

[7:46] fortitude, that they may have courage to

[7:47] pursue fairness even when the path is difficult.

[7:52] and lastly, I pray for their

[7:55] unity, that they may, despite

[7:56] differences of perspectives, share

[7:58] a commitment

[8:01] to the common good where

[8:04] all prevail. May westchester

[8:06] flourish under their leadership. May

[8:07] westchester be known,

[8:10] not just as a beautiful, for its

[8:11] beauty and for its resources, but

[8:13] for the

[8:14] justice and equityequity its laws.

[8:16] strengthen

[8:18] these leaders in their public duties.

[8:19] protect them

[8:21] in their private lives so they may

[8:22] serve

[8:25] with joy and

[8:26] with clear conscience throughout this year, amen.

[8:30] >> will the acting court please call the roll.

[8:37] >> majority leader holstein. >>

[8:40] present.

[8:41] >> mirchlt

[8:42] leader cunzio.

[8:43] >> here. >> mr. Alvarado?

[8:44] miss barr?

[8:46] >> here. >>

[8:49] miss clements?

[8:50] >> here. >> mr.

[8:52] goshi.

[8:53] >> here. >> mr. Immora. >>

[8:55] here.

[8:56] >> mr. Nambiar?

[8:58] >> here. >> mr. Nolan?

[9:01] >> here. >> miss pierce?

[9:03] miss puja?

[9:04] >> here. >> mr. Smith?

[9:07] >> here. >> mr. Tubiolo?

[9:10] >> present. >>

[9:12] miss williams?

[9:13] >> present. >> miss

[9:14] williams

[9:16] johnson?

[9:17] >> present. >> mr. Woodson

[9:18] samuels?

[9:19] >> present. >> we have a

[9:20] quorum.

[9:21] >> thank you. Welcome to the

[9:22] organizational meeting of

[9:23] the westchester county board of legislators.

[9:24] it is customary for the westchester

[9:25] county clerk to convene the

[9:26] first meeting of each newly constituted

[9:28] board

[9:30] of legislators until the chair is

[9:31] elected and sworn in. At this

[9:33] time, I would ask the members of this

[9:34] esteemed body

[9:36] to stand as I administer the oath

[9:37] of office to

[9:40] you, the full legislator of

[9:41] the westchester county for the 2026 legislative

[9:43] term.

[9:49] please repeat after me.

[9:52] I, state your name, solemnly

[9:55] swear or affirm that I

[9:58] will support the constitution

[10:01] of the united states and the

[10:04] constitution of the

[10:07] state of new york, that I will

[10:10] faithfully discharge

[10:13] the duties of the office of county

[10:16] legislator in and for the county of

[10:20] westchester according to the best of my ability.

[10:25] congratulations.

[10:42] nominations are now in order for chairman of

[10:43] the westchester county board of legislators.

[10:52] >>

[10:54] yes, thank you, mr. County clerk.

[10:55] and

[10:58] I would like to

[11:01] nominate legislator

[11:04] goshi for board chairman for the

[11:07] 2026 legislative term.

[11:10] >> legislator

[11:12] gashi has been nominated for chairman of

[11:13] the

[11:15] westchester county board of legislators.

[11:16] there is a second?

[11:17] >>

[11:19] second.

[11:20] >> legislator

[11:21] vedat gashi has been nominated and

[11:22] seconded.

[11:23] are there any other nominations for this office?

[11:27] nominations are now closed. Will the

[11:28] acting

[11:29] clerk please call a long roll call vote?

[11:34] >> majority leader holstein?

[11:37] >> aye.

[11:40] >> minority leader cunzio? >> yes.

[11:42] >> mr. Alvarado? >> yes. >> miss barr?

[11:43] >> yes.

[11:45] >> miss clements? >> yes. >> mr. Gashi?

[11:46] >> yes.

[11:49] >> mr. Immora?

[11:52] >> yes. >> mr. Nambiar?

[11:55] >> yes. >> mr. Nolan? >> yes. >> miss

[11:58] puja?

[11:59] >> yes. >> mr. Smith? >>

[12:01] yes.

[12:02] >> mr. Tubiolo?

[12:04] >> yes. >> miss rely? >> yes.

[12:06] >> miss williams? >> yes. >> miss

[12:07] williams

[12:10] johnson?

[12:11] >> yes. >> mr.

[12:13] woodson samuels?

[12:14] >> aye. >>

[12:16] motion passes 16-0.

[12:17] >> since legislator gashi

[12:18] is in the room, the election is now

[12:19] final. I would ask that

[12:22] majority leader holstein

[12:25] and minority leader

[12:27] cunzio, please escort chairman gashi to the podium.

[12:54] >> so --oh, I've got to give the swearing-in.

[12:58] I

[13:00] was going to jump right in.

[13:01] >> I came

[13:02] all the way

[13:03] here.

[13:04] >> may I have my wife and children

[13:05] come up?

[13:06] >> absolutely, absolutely.

[13:07] >> guys, come up here.

[13:31] >> please raise

[13:34] your right hand. I, vedat

[13:36] gashi solemnly swear that I will support

[13:37] the

[13:40] constitution of the united

[13:43] states, the constitution of

[13:44] the state of new york, and that I

[13:46] will faithfully discharge

[13:49] the duties of the office

[13:52] of chair of the county board of legislators

[13:55] in and for the county of

[13:58] westchester according to the

[14:01] best of my abilities. [ repeated ]

[14:04] thank you.

[14:15] >> all right. I think that was one

[14:16] of county

[14:17] clerk roach's first official acts as westchester county

[14:19] clerk.

[14:25] thank you, tom, for

[14:26] helping make this a special event.

[14:28] I want to thank the

[14:30] faith leaders for your inspiring words

[14:31] and uplifting message.

[14:34] of course,

[14:36] we had some of them up here, but I want

[14:37] to thank my family

[14:40] of which there are many.

[14:43] vanessa, my mother, say

[14:46] hi, mom,

[14:49] dorantina, akron, our men j unfortunately

[14:52] ka, ari, and tajir.

[14:53] am I missing anybody? That's plenty.

[14:58] and I love them

[15:00] all, and they're all supported, but

[15:01] they're

[15:02] all constituents and voters so thank

[15:04] you guys for that, too. And of course,

[15:07] I want to thank --

[15:10] mention my father, who

[15:12] passed away before I entered political

[15:13] life, but whose

[15:14] example guides me every day. Thank you, dad.

[15:16] I love you.

[15:19] I want to

[15:22] thank my colleagues. I'm humbled and

[15:25] honored to have received

[15:28] your support

[15:30] again. Thank you. I'll have succeeded

[15:31] if I

[15:34] can help you all -- if

[15:37] I can help you all succeed and support

[15:38] you

[15:40] in our joint success. Tonight we welcome

[15:41] two

[15:43] new colleagues, jen puja and anant

[15:44] nambiar.

[15:52] legislator puja has

[15:55] a long record of public service

[15:58] and is a strong

[15:59] labor advocate we welcome to our board.

[16:04] legislator nambiar has

[16:07] his own impressive record of service

[16:08] and achievement but is also notable

[16:10] for becoming the

[16:11] first south asian member of this board of

[16:13] legislators.

[16:19] as well as

[16:21] the first member of the hindu faith to

[16:22] serve in

[16:24] this role. So, welcome, and thank

[16:25] you for helping us break those barriers

[16:26] as well.

[16:28] I'm

[16:29] going to keep this speech short, because this is going to

[16:31] be a short term.

[16:36] I'm not sure if everyone's aware,

[16:37] but there was a change in

[16:39] the election law. So this is going

[16:40] to be historic in the regard that

[16:42] it's going to be a one-year term for the first

[16:43] time ever.

[16:46] and

[16:48] it's going to be difficult for more

[16:49] than just that reason.

[16:52] it's also an incredibly challenging

[16:55] environment. We have a

[16:57] difficult economic environment, and

[16:58] the actions

[17:00] of the federal government are making

[17:01] it incredibly

[17:03] difficult for us already. And it's going

[17:04] to mean a

[17:05] whole lot of work before us in this

[17:07] next year.

[17:10] we have

[17:12] challenges. We have that work to do and only

[17:13] a short time to do it.

[17:15] it's going to be hard. But we're going

[17:19] to --we're going to approach these

[17:22] challenging times as we've always

[17:26] done, by being firm on principle

[17:29] and fair in process, through

[17:31] strong debate but stronger respect,

[17:32] and by

[17:33] acting with urgency without recklessness.

[17:38] it's not going to be easy,

[17:40] but we've tackled difficult things

[17:41] before. It's times

[17:42] like these that remind us why this

[17:44] board of

[17:45] legislators matters. Why government matters.

[17:50] I want to thank, again,

[17:53] my colleagues for entrusting me

[17:55] with this solemn honor and responsibility.

[17:57] I sincerely appreciate it. Thank you all.

[18:02] I think since we have so much work

[18:03] to do, we should get on with doing it.

[18:06] thank you, and may god bless america.

[18:19] >> I don't know that I've ever banged this.

[18:25] nominations are now in order for vice chair of

[18:26] the westchester county board of legislators.

[18:32] >> yes. Thank you, mr. Chair.

[18:34] again, congratulationscongratulations

[18:35] your

[18:37] elected --being elected to be our --

[18:38] serve as our

[18:41] board chair for another term. I

[18:44] would like to move that --for

[18:47] the office of vice

[18:50] chair, for the

[18:53] 2026 legislative term,

[18:56] legislator terry clements. I've had

[18:58] an opportunity to work with legislator

[18:59] clements

[19:02] now since I came on

[19:04] to the board. And you know, she's

[19:05] always

[19:07] been a good resource for me personally

[19:08] and

[19:11] always made a very --she's been a

[19:13] great addition to the board. She's shown great

[19:17] leadership, not just here as a

[19:20] legislator, but in

[19:21] her community and I think that she

[19:23] would make a very --

[19:25] she's going to make a very capable

[19:26] vice

[19:27] chair. And so it's my privilege and

[19:28] honor to nominate her for that position.

[19:38] >> is there a

[19:40] second?

[19:41] >> I'd like to second that

[19:42] nomination for legislator clements, thank you.

[19:43] >> all right.

[19:47] are there --sorry. Legislator

[19:48] terry clements has been nominated

[19:50] and seconded for vice chair of

[19:52] the westchester county board of legislators.

[19:53] are there any other nominations for this office?

[19:59] seeing

[20:00] none, nominations are now closed.

[20:02] will

[20:03] the acting clerk please call a long roll call vote?

[20:08] >> majority

[20:11] leader holstein?

[20:12] >> aye.

[20:13] >> minority er cunzio? >> yes. >> mr.

[20:17] alvarado?

[20:18] >> yes. >> miss barr?

[20:19] >> yes. >> miss clements? >> yes.

[20:20] >> mr.

[20:23] imamura?

[20:24] >> yes. >> mr. Nambiar?

[20:26] >> yes. >> mr. Nolan? >> yes. >> miss

[20:29] puja?

[20:30] >> yes. >> mr. Smith?

[20:32] >> yes. >> mr. Tubiolo?

[20:35] >> yes. >> miss

[20:37] sue lie?

[20:38] >> yes. >> miss williams?

[20:39] >> yes.

[20:41] >> miss williams johnson?

[20:43] >> yes. >> mr. Woodson samuels? >>

[20:44] yes.

[20:45] >>

[20:46] chairman gashi?

[20:47] >> yes. >> motion passes 16-0.

[20:59] >>

[21:02] since legislator clements is

[21:03] in the room, the election is now final.

[21:05] I ask that the

[21:07] majority leader and minority leader

[21:11] cunzio, if they would escort vicevice

[21:13] clements to the podium and join her for the oath of office.

[21:44] >> please repeat after me.

[21:47] [ repeating ] I, terry

[21:49] clements, do solemnly swear that I

[21:53] will support the constitution of

[21:56] the united states and the constitution

[21:59] of the state of new york and that

[22:02] I will faithfully discharge

[22:05] the duties of the office of vice chair of the county board of

[22:08] legislators

[22:11] in and for the county of

[22:14] westchester according to the best

[22:17] of my ability. Congratulations.

[22:29] >> good evening, and thank

[22:31] you, everyone, for coming and supporting

[22:32] all of

[22:35] my colleagues. I'd like to thank my

[22:36] husband,

[22:37] george clements, who was just standing

[22:38] here, and my

[22:40] daughters, monet and lauren, for allowing

[22:41] me to serve

[22:44] the residents of

[22:47] westchester since 1996 in the very

[22:48] many

[22:50] different roles in politics. Now I'm

[22:52] honored to serve as vice chair and

[22:53] remain committed

[22:56] to ensuring every voice in westchester

[22:57] is

[22:58] heard and valued. Together with my

[23:01] colleagues, I will continue advocating

[23:02] for policies that

[23:05] uplift our communities and strengthen

[23:07] the democratic --our democratic values

[23:08] that make

[23:10] our country strong. I'm grateful to

[23:11] the

[23:13] residents and my fellow legislators

[23:14] for the continued support as

[23:17] we move forward in unity and purpose.

[23:18] and thank

[23:19] you so much for this honor. I will work very hard.

[23:20] thank you so much.

[23:32] >> thank you, vice chair

[23:34] clements. Nominations are now in order

[23:35] for clerk of the westchester

[23:38] county board of legislators. I'll

[23:39] take this

[23:41] opportunity to nominate sunday vandenberg.

[23:44] if you don't know sunday

[23:46] vandenberg, you do not know this board

[23:49] of legislators. She's been operating

[23:50] longer than I've been here and

[23:52] knows a heck of a lot more about it

[23:53] than I do.

[23:54] thank you for your service in the

[23:56] past, and thank you

[23:59] for agreeing to serve again. So

[24:02] with that, sunday vandenberg has been

[24:03] nominated for

[24:04] clerk of the westchester county board

[24:05] of legislators. Is there a

[24:08] second?

[24:09] >> I second.

[24:11] >> minority leader -- okay.

[24:14] >> honored

[24:15] to stand here today and wholeheartedly

[24:17] support our dear friend and colleague

[24:20] and leader of the clerk's office.

[24:21] sunday

[24:23] truly does know this entire board inside

[24:24] and out.

[24:26] we go to her, we lean on her, professionally

[24:29] and personally. But I stand here today,

[24:32] and I'm proud

[24:34] to support sunday vandenberg and second

[24:35] the nomination.

[24:38] >> thank you.

[24:41] sunday vandenberg has now been nominated and

[24:42] seconded

[24:43] for clerk of the westchester county

[24:44] board of legislators.

[24:46] are there any other nominations for

[24:47] this office?

[24:50] seeing none, nominations are now

[24:52] closed. Will the acting clerk please

[24:53] call a long roll call

[24:55] vote?

[24:56] >> majority leader holstein?

[24:57] >> aye.

[24:59] >> minority leader cunzio? >> yes.

[25:02] >> mr. Alvarado? >> yes. >>

[25:05] miss barr?

[25:06] >> yes. >>

[25:08] miss clements?

[25:09] >> yes. >> mr. Imamura?

[25:10] >>

[25:11] yes.

[25:12] >> mr. Nambiar? >> yes. >> mr.

[25:14] nolan?

[25:15] >> yes. >> miss pierce? Miss

[25:17] puja?

[25:18] >> yes. >> mr. Smith? >>

[25:20] yes.

[25:21] >> mr. Tubiolo? >> yes. >>

[25:23] miss sue lie?

[25:24] >> yes. >> miss williams?

[25:25] --

[25:26] yes.

[25:27] >> miss williams johnson?

[25:29] >> yes. >> mr. Woodson samuels? >>

[25:32] aye.

[25:33] >> chairman gashi? >> yes. >> motion passes 16-0.

[25:44] >> all right.

[25:49] it says here, now congratulate sunday.

[25:56] you can tell

[25:57] sunday knows the position and the

[25:59] job by the fact that she is not

[26:00] giving a speech now. Thank you, sunday.

[26:05] and with that, that concludes our

[26:06] business for tonight.

[26:08] I'd like to thank everyone for joining

[26:09] us

[26:11] and invite

[26:13] reverend trollinger to lead us in the

[26:14] benediction.

[26:23] >> may we bow our heads.

[26:26] eternal god our

[26:29] father, wewe thank

[26:31] you for your divine providence of

[26:32] creating this magnificent

[26:35] idea of america.

[26:38] as we stand

[26:40] at crossroads within our community,

[26:41] within our nation,

[26:44] and in our world, help us to still

[26:45] hold

[26:47] true to the founding

[26:50] fathers, that all men are created

[26:51] equal.

[26:54] that we are to pursue

[26:57] happiness,

[26:58] equality for everyone. Charge our

[27:00] brothers and our

[27:03] sisters, continue to be faithful

[27:05] to the original idea of this thing called the united states.

[27:11] the lord bless you, the lord keep

[27:13] you, the lord make his face shine

[27:15] upon you and be

[27:17] gracious unto you. The lord lift up

[27:18] his

[27:19] countenance upon you and grant you his

[27:21] peace, amen.

[27:25] >> thank you again, reverend challenger.

[27:30] majority leader

[27:31] holstein, do you have a motion on

[27:33] adjournment?

[27:34] >> mr. Chair, I

[27:35] do. Our 2026 meeting calendar has

[27:36] yet to be finalized, so

[27:37] I move that we adjourn this meeting

[27:39] until the call of the chair.

[27:42] >> short roll call, please. >> majority

[27:44] leader holstein?

[27:45] >> aye. >> minority

[27:46] leader cunzio?

[27:48] >> yes. >> vice

[27:51] chair clements?

[27:52] >> yes. >>

[27:53] chairman dashi?

[27:54] >> yes. >> motion

[27:55] to adjourn

[27:57] passes 16-0.

[27:58] >> we are adjourned

[27:59] at 7:43 p.m. Thank you all again.

Board of Legislators on 2026-01-05 7:00 PM

Agenda

Transcript