‘Time to pass the torch:’ Veteran WC legislator calls it quits

A veteran Westchester County legislator has announced that he is stepping down.

News 12 Staff

Jan 31, 2019, 10:48 PM

Updated 1,918 days ago

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A veteran Westchester County legislator has announced that he is stepping down.
Republican John Testa is the third county legislator to announce he's leaving.
Testa served three terms as Peekskill's mayor and five terms on the county Board of Legislators.
"It's time to step back and pass the torch to the next generation," he says.

Testa admits being a Republican, only one or four on the County Board, hasn't been easy in the age of President Donald Trump. In 2017, after Trump was elected, Democrats won a super majority of seats.
Testa says his party has been powerless since then to stop the progressive legislation he believes will do more harm than good.

"I think the unintended consequences of some of these decisions that are being made, the anti-business decisions, the anti-public safety...I think down the road we are going to see something pretty unfortunate circumstances for our county," he says.

He is now the third legislator - but first Republican - to announce they are leaving the Board of Legislators. Two Democrats, former chairman Mike Kaplowitz and Virginia Perez, are quitting too.
All 17 seats on the County Board are up for grabs this year when voters head to the polls in June. The election is three months earlier this year.
 


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