Democrat Ken Jenkins and Republican Christine Sculti are running to fill the last year of the term vacated by former Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who is now in Congress. Jenkins, Latimer’s former deputy, was appointed by the Board of Legislators last month to serve as county executive until Election Day.
“For me, and for our team, it’s been a seamless transition," says Jenkins. "Having spent seven years as a deputy county executive, it’s been moving without missing a beat.”
Jenkins is Westchester’s first Black county executive, and the frontrunner in Tuesday’s race. But he won't get to skate through: Sculti, a deputy elections commissioner and one-time chief advisor to former County Executive Rob Astorino, is running a last-minute campaign to become the first woman in the seat.
Speaking with WAMC, Sculti says her first priority as county executive would be to repeal what she calls Westchester’s “sanctuary county law.” Passed in 2018, the Immigrant Protection Act restricts how and when county agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
“My legal team has analyzed the law, which we find to be flawed," says Sculti. "So, what I’m prepared to do is issue an executive order that will repeal the law and direct the county departments, specifically corrections, probation, and public safety, to immediately start working with the federal authorities to detain, deport violent, criminal, illegal aliens.”
Jenkins says Westchester County is not a “sanctuary county,” and that the Immigrant Protection Act doesn’t ban county law enforcement from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement — it simply sets guidelines, and in most cases, requires a judicial warrant to back any cooperation up.
“From a soundbite perspective, when we have candidates out there, they say some ridiculous things and things that are just not true," says Jenkins. "We work with federal law enforcement, and over the years federal law enforcement has utilized the process of having judicial warrants and moving forward.”
Jenkins argues the Immigrant Protection Act enhances public safety by helping people feel more comfortable reporting crimes and other issues to local officials. Sculti rejects that.
“The public in Westchester demands safety. And the only way we’re going to keep our streets safe is if we cooperate and make sure that we are aiding the federal authorities when there is violent criminal, illegal immigrants who cannot and should not be released back into our neighborhoods," she adds.
Jenkins, from Yonkers, has a background in telecommunications and spent more than a decade on the Board of Legislators, including a stint as chairman from 2010 to 2013. He unsuccessfully ran against Latimer in the Democratic primary for county executive in 2017, after which Latimer appointed him his deputy. Jenkins’ campaign has leaned heavily on that experience. He says he wants to continue the work he and Latimer started on issues like affordable housing.
Shortly after he was appointed county executive, Jenkins signed a bill allocating $10 million for the purchase of property in downtown White Plains to construct more than 100 units for first-time homebuyers.
“Having affordable ownership is just another way of making sure we can keep Westchester as affordable as it can be," he says.
Sculti, from Mamaroneck, also ran against Latimer for county executive, and lost, in 2021. She says she’s held multiple government jobs and worked for a family business before serving as Astorino’s chief advisor. In addition to repealing the Immigrant Protection Act, Sculti says she wants to establish a county “Office of Parental Rights.” She criticizes Jenkins and Latimer for increasing the county budget and the county sales tax.
“People are squeezed with inflation. They can’t afford gas, eggs, milk," she says. "You go to the gas station; you go to the supermarket store. It’s unsustainable.”
Jenkins says the property tax levy was either lowered or held steady throughout Latimer’s tenure, and that property taxes today are “less than when Sculti was part of the Astorino Administration.”
Early voting ended Sunday. Democratic Elections Commissioner Tajian Nelson says turnout has been low so far, with just under 4 percent of the electorate opting to vote early. She says overall turnout might not break 10 percent.
“This election is such a short window. There’s still a lot of people that are like, ‘Oh, there’s an election tomorrow?’" she says. "So, I don’t see it being all that much higher tomorrow, honestly.”
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, and voters can look up their poll site on the county Board of Elections website. Whoever wins will still need to run for a full four-year term in November. Both Jenkins and Sculti say they plan to do so, regardless of Tuesday’s outcome.
