News & Media

Michael Romita settles into a chair on Day One at the helm of the Westchester County Association, ready to talk about priorities and concerns, from the digital divide to the coronavirus to the shutting of Indian Point and housing in Westchester

A partner in a Washington, D.C.-based federal government affairs and public policy consulting firm has been selected to become the next president and CEO of the Westchester County Association, taking the position formerly occupied by William M. Mooney Jr., who recently retired after 15 years on the job. Michael N. Romita, who is a resident of Harrison, will assume the position effective March 1, it was announced today by William P. Harrington Jr., WCA’s chairman.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed plan to charge tolls to people who pass through a very short stretch of Greenwich while driving on Interstate 684, which is mostly in New York, will add an unwarranted financial burden to hundreds of thousands of people in our region.

If the turnout of more than 600 business, community and political leaders on Nov. 13 to honor William M. Mooney Jr., retiring president and CEO of the Westchester County Association, didn’t send a strong enough message, New York’s Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo attended and presented Mooney with the Excelsior Medal, the state’s highest honor for public service.

Since Montefiore Health System announced plans to close Mount Vernon Hospital last week, replacing it with a new $41 million dollar healthcare complex on Sandford Boulevard that will modernize local care, there has been some negative reaction that claims the health system is turning its back on the community and leaving residents exposed without adequate medical services. In my opinion, just the opposite is true, and some Mount Vernon residents, politicians, and activists are taking a shortsighted view that is not based on facts or reality. No one is served by misinformation.

WCA continues to fight for our regional hospitals and all patients/employees against the abuses of the health insurance companies

The 99-year-lease with developer Fareri Associates is for 60 acres of undeveloped county-owned land called “The North 60” on the Grasslands campus near Westchester Medical Center.

In this special issue of City & State, we take a closer look at the lesser-known – but no less influential – movers and shakers of Westchester County. Since we cover politicians on a day-to-day basis, we limited this list to those who are not strictly in government but instead influence it from the outside.

The Westchester County Association (WCA) has completed a transition from a business membership organization to an economic development entity. In a press release announcing a rebranding, the 70-year-old group said the move would better reflect its policy and “action-oriented identity.”

On Sept. 10, to better reflect its policy and action-oriented identity, the WCA unveiled its first major brand realignment since its founding in 1950.

Regional experts in real estate and housing will share best practices and offer potential solutions to the lack of affordable and diverse housing stock in the region – where more than 11,000 additional such units are needed -- at the Westchester County Association’s fourth annual Real Estate and Housing Virtual Summit on October 30 at 9:30 a.m. EST.

Dr. Philip Ozuah, president and chief executive officer of Montefiore Medicine, will deliver the keynote address at the Westchester County Association (WCA)’s online 70th Anniversary Leadership Event, which will celebrate business and nonprofit movers and shakers, Congresswoman Nita Lowey, and local healthcare heroes, on November 19 at 4 p.m. EST.

The initiatives are outlined in “Towards a Stronger Future,” a newly-released report from the WCA’s Post Pandemic Working Group (PPWG), which is a select committee of business, nonprofit, and education and government leaders who are working collaboratively to support the recovery and long-term prosperity of the region.  The Towards a Stronger Future report, which is available for download on the WCA’s website, sets forth a clear advocacy and action agenda in those Four Foundational Pillars of Economic Recovery where the WCA is well-positioned through its proven expertise and deep professional network to achieve significant impact: healthcare and bioscience, real estate and housing, digital connectivity, and energy and sustainability.

Optimism for Westchester’s economic future, combined with a sense that the region’s financial recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will take between one and three years, are among the key findings from a public survey conducted by the Westchester County Association (WCA), the results of which were announced today. The survey also found that healthcare, entrepreneurship, higher education and hospitality are among the most important industry sectors to the region’s economic future, while high taxes, unemployment, broadband/digital technology, and affordable housing are key economic issues moving forward.

The “Business Insights” live video series will feature hosts from the WCA and Westfair Communications interviewing business leaders from throughout the region and discussing topics related to the challenges and opportunities organizations are encountering. Episodes will stream live on the WCA’s Facebook Page, LinkedIn Page, and YouTube Channel, and also on Westfair Communications’ website, Facebook Page, LinkedIn Page, and YouTube Channel, and be available for on-demand viewing.

The “Best Practices for Reopening Westchester” online event series will support the ongoing efforts of the WCA’s Post-Pandemic Working Group (PPWG) to rebuild a stronger and more resilient economy for the region.

The Post-Pandemic Working Group is pursuing a comprehensive and cooperative approach to the region’s economic development challenges that were both created and made more apparent by the coronavirus crisis. It will cultivate and advance a series of legislative, regulatory, and developmental priorities focused not just on getting our economy restarted but also making sure it grows stronger and more resilient for the long term.

We await the findings of the Medicaid Redesign Team and we are dedicated to working with our State representatives to ensure that the team’s recommendations do not unduly burden Westchester’s health systems or place patients and others in need at unnecessary risk.

William P. Harrington, Jr., Chairman of the Westchester County Association (WCA), announced today that Michael N. Romita will become the next President & CEO of the WCA, the County’s leading economic development and business advocacy organization, effective March 1, 2020.

The Westchester County Association (WCA) – Westchester’s leading economic development and business advocacy organization – today announced the appointment of twelve new members to its board of directors, a new vice chair of its board of directors, and three board members to its executive committee.