News & Media

The Westchester County Association and Community Capital New York streamed a Facebook Live event Thursday about loan programs for small-business owners strapped for cash during the coronavirus crisis. Kim Jacobs, executive director of Elmsford-based Community Capital New York, hosted the informational session on the Westchester County Association's Facebook page. She was joined by WCA President Michael Romita at the event.

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.”

White Plains, N.Y. (February 25, 2022) – During the Annual County Executive’s Breakfast hosted by The Westchester County Association (WCA) on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown, New York, County Executive George Latimer and WCA President & CEO Michael N. Romita jointly announced the launch of the Healthcare Talent Pipeline Program (HTPP). Conceived by the WCA, the HTPP will help relieve the regional workplace challenges faced by our hospitals and medical groups by recruiting and training 100 job seekers and incumbent works for high-demand healthcare jobs.

White Plains, N.Y. (February 7, 2022) – The Westchester County Association (WCA) joined community leaders from Nonprofit Westchester (NPW), the Building and Realty Institute of Westchester and the Mid-Hudson Region (BRI), the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley (CIC), and the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors (HGAR) to put forth an advocacy letter urging government officials to find statewide solutions to Westchester’s housing crisis. These organizations represent an array of interests throughout the Hudson Valley, and they call upon government leaders to pass legislation which expands housing supply and benefits our economy, our workforce, and our communities.

Yonkers, N.Y. – Today, the Westchester County Association joined community leaders, elected officials, and project partners in a press conference at the Yonkers Public Library to highlight the latest developments since the launch of the Y-Zone (Yonkers Zone), a broadband pilot program funded by US Ignite and Schmidt Futures as part of Project Overcome.

White Plains, N.Y. (December 2, 2021) – The Westchester County Association (WCA) hosted their Annual Fall Leadership Event: Driving Westchester Forward on November 30 at the Westchester Marriot in Tarrytown, New York. With over 400 people in attendance, the evening honored the achievements of organizations Skanska, Westhab, and WMCHealth, as well as outgoing WCA Chairman William P. Harrington Esq., Partner at Bleakley Platt & Schmidt who received the Alfred B. DelBello Visionary Award.

The Westchester County Association (WCA) is excited to announce that at today’s meeting of the Board of Directors, Susan Fox, CEO and President of White Plains Hospital, was selected to succeed Bill Harrington as the next Chairperson of the WCA. She will step up from her current role as Vice Chair to spearhead innovative ways the WCA can continue to make an impact on economic vitality throughout Westchester County and the surrounding region. Ms. Fox will begin her tenure as Chairperson of the WCA beginning on January 1, 2022.

White Plains, N.Y. (November 23, 2021) – The Westchester County Association (WCA), and Nonprofit Westchester (NPW), are hosting a free virtual event, An Open Conversation with US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. EST. This event will include an interactive dialogue, discussing the most pressing issues impacting businesses and the Hudson Valley community.

White Plains, N.Y. (October 21, 2021) – Today, the Westchester County Association in partnership with the City of Yonkers, STEM Alliance, Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE), Fordham University, and Westhab launched the much-anticipated Yonkers Zone (Y-Zone). This project is made possible through support from US Ignite, the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Award # CNS-2044448), and Schmidt Futures. By utilizing Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum, the newly deployed, digital opportunity zone provides free internet access to approximately 250 to 400 need-based households in downtown Yonkers.

The Westchester County Association (WCA) is hosting their 2nd Annual Regional Workforce Summit on Friday, April 23, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. EST. Join the WCA and leaders from business, education, government, and nonprofits as they gather to discuss the mega shifts occurring in our region’s talent ecosystem. This event will showcase how businesses are leveraging the “new normal” in training, recruiting, and retention developments of the region’s talent.

The Westchester County Association (WCA) is one of seven lead organizations to have been selected by US Ignite, a national non-profit accelerating the smart city movement, to participate in Project OVERCOME. Project OVERCOME, a $2.7 million effort is designed to expedite the delivery of broadband services to underserved communities across the United States. The U. S. National Science Foundation (NSF) conceived of and is providing $2.25 million in funding for the project, with Schmidt Futures joining as a financial and strategic partner to extend Project OVERCOME’s geographic reach with an additional $450,000. The project explores novel approaches to connectivity in both rural and urban communities with an eye on replicating these efforts on a national scale.

The Westchester County Association (WCA), and Nonprofit Westchester (NPW), are hosting a free virtual event, An Open Conversation with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, on February 26, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. EST. This event will discuss the most pressing issues impacting regional businesses and nonprofits and will include an audience Q&A. Topics that will be addressed in this event include: • COVID relief and the rest of Senator Schumer’s 2021 legislative agenda • Economic development priorities in the lower Hudson Valley • The importance of nonprofits to the regional economy • The challenges of legislating in the current political environment