Harckham Announces Intent to Run Again for County Legislator

Peter Harckham announced his candidacy for the Westchester County Board of Legislators in Mt. Kisco, his campaign announced Tuesday afternoon.

He'll face Andrea Rendo, a Lewisboro resident and Mount Kisco attorney who is the GOP candidate for District 2.

Here is the announcement from Peter Harckham:

At a press conference on the steps of Mount Kisco Village Hall, County Legislator and Board Majority Leader Pete Harckham (North Salem, D, I, WF) today declared his candidacy for re-election to the County Board. Harckham was joined by his daughters, Emma & Kate, elected officials, and supporters.

Harckham cited his record of keeping promises to responsibly reduce the size and cost of county, protect families and safeguard our drinking water and environment. Said Harckham, “Over the past six years I have worked tirelessly towards achieving these goals, and by working together, we have accomplished a great deal.”

Harckham stressed his record on cutting spending and taxes, “County taxes are down by 2.2%, spending has been cut by $100 million and the size of the county workforce has been downsized by over 15%.” He added, “I’ve also successfully fought against unwise cuts to Probation, the County Police and the Department of Emergency Services that is so vital during events like Superstorm Sandy and to all of our volunteer first responders.”

Harckham used the location in Mount Kisco to physically point out organizations that were negatively impacted by the 2013 Republican budget, “that was passed with no analysis, no discussion in the Committee on Budget and Appropriations and no public input.” He cited Open Door Neighborhood Health Center, The Boys and Girls Club, Mount Kisco Child Care Center, The Mount Kisco Library and the Emergency Shelter Partnership. Said Harckham, “My friends, we can do so much better. This is Westchester. ALL of the people of Westchester deserve so much better.”

On the environment, Harckham stressed his record on protecting our fragile water supplies, saying “I have been a leader in protecting our drinking water through securing over $20 million in outside funding for water protection projects and by banning fracking waste from our waste water treatment plants and the brine from being used on our roads for de-icing or dust control. I have saved homeowners, businesses and municipalities millions of dollars through innovative solutions to burdensome state mandated septic policy.” Harckham is the founding Chair of the Subcommittee on Septics. He negotiated the model local law on MS-4 Septic inspection has negotiated a pilot program with NYC DEP on the testing of alternative septic systems in the NYC watershed.

Harckham also stressed his record on protecting our families, “I’ve passed laws to support our emergency first responders, to crack down on drunk drivers and to facilitate police mergers when it saves taxpayers money and enhances public safety.”

Harckham concluded his remarks by again focusing on his accomplishments, “We have shown that by working together, we can provide tax relief and at the same time make the investments necessary to protect our families and to safeguard our environment.”