The Board of Legislators began the 2022-2023 legislative term electing District 9 Legislator Catherine Borgia as chair, and District 6 Legislator Nancy
Barr as vice chair, during a special meeting Monday night. Borgia is only the second woman to serve as chair, following the late Lois Bronz, who chaired the board in 2002-2003.
This is the first time in the board’s history that women will simultaneously fill both posts. The election of Borgia and Barr followed the swearing in of all 17 legislators. Borgia becomes chair after a long career in public service: working in the New York State Assembly as a staffer for several years, serving on the village of Ossining Board of Trustees, and then serving two terms as supervisor of the Town of Ossining before being elected to the Board of Legislators in 2012.
Borgia served as Chair of the Board’s Government Operations Committee in 2012-2013 and then as the Democratic Majority Leader for the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 terms. She championed historic, life-changing legislation including the Immigrant Protection Act, Employee Earned Sick Leave, Safe Leave, the
Fair Chance to Work Act, Coop Disclosure, and the Wage History Discrimination Law.
She served as the Board’s Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair for the 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 terms. During that time, she worked with the County Executive’s administration and her colleagues on the Board to pass budgets that cut the county’s property tax levy and rebuilt the county’s reserve funds while
investing in the county’s infrastructure and providing much needed services for county residents, especially during a global pandemic.
“I look forward to working with the County Executive, our new leadership team, the entire legislature, and our partners in federal, state and local government, to lead Westchester through this pandemic and on to better days,” Borgia said. “We will continue to provide the resources needed to help every resident of Westchester thrive.”
Barr comes to the office of vice chair having served on the Blind Brook School Board for six years, including as president and vice president. Barr was first
elected to the Board of Legislators for the 2018-2019 term. Since joining the Board, Barr has worked diligently on environmental issues, including
passage of a ban on expanded polystyrene food containers and advocating for the expansion of the county’s compostable waste program. She has worked to
protect county residents by introducing and passing the Wage Theft Law and championing the creation of the county’s Advisory Board on People with Disabilities. She was instrumental in raising the age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21 years old. (Submitted)
