New Rochelle Mayor Makes It Official: Enters Race for Westchester County Executive

New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson has put out a press release and a letter to supporters (see below) announcing his decision to run for Westchester County Executive. He has also launched a new campaign web site under the noambramson.org domain.

New Rochelle Mayor Pledges a Campaign of “Substance and Ideas”

Mayor Noam Bramson

New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson announced today he will seek the Democratic nomination for Westchester County Executive in 2013. Bramson, who won re-election last year with a record-setting 79% of the vote, gives Democrats a top-tier contender to take on Republican incumbent Rob Astorino.

“We need a County Executive with a coherent vision for growing our economy and attracting new jobs, for cutting government waste and inefficiency, and for making good on our commitment to seniors, children, and working parents,” said Bramson. “As the Mayor of a diverse and complex community, I have brought people together to achieve positive change. As County Executive, I will act with innovation and energy to shape a stronger, healthier, and more inclusive Westchester.”

Continued Bramson, “It is time for a serious debate about our future, and I intend to offer a campaign of substance and ideas.”

In a letter mailed this week to Democratic leaders throughout the County, Bramson cited several of his objectives for Westchester:

growing the economy, attracting new jobs, and delivering greater value for every tax dollar by adopting forward-looking development, land use, transit, and environmental plans;
confronting duplicative government bureaucracy in order to reduce waste, decrease our regional tax burden, and make room for essential investments in the future; and
upholding our commitment to seniors, children, working parents, and the vulnerable, on the principle that we move forward when all people in our community have a chance to succeed.
“During the past three years, these priorities have been neglected,” said Bramson. “For Westchester to remain a vibrant place to raise a family, find a job, and enjoy a rewarding life, the County Executive must be willing to lead.”

During his seven years at the helm of Westchester’s second largest city, Bramson has compiled a record of achievement on issues directly relevant to County leadership. Bramson spearheaded successful economic development, creating new jobs and spurring hundreds of millions in investment; adopted responsible budgets that have given New Rochelle the lowest city tax rate among Westchester’s urban centers, while meeting essential service priorities; and produced an award-winning sustainability plan that serves as a detailed twenty-year blueprint for environmental conservation, smart growth, and social progress.

Bramson Wins Early Support from County Leaders
Bramson has already earned the support of prominent County leaders, including Congresswoman Nita Lowey. “Noam is one of the most effective, smart, and principled public servants I have known, “ said Lowey. “He has the talent and determination to make a significant, positive difference for Westchester. I am very proud to endorse him.”

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a former Executive Director of My Sisters’ Place, said “Noam is the right person to take on the tough challenge of county leadership. He has proven his competence, intelligence, and ability in New Rochelle, and all of Westchester will benefit from his service.”

New Rochelle City Council Member Jared Rice, who has teamed with Bramson to promote job training and affordable housing initiatives, lauded the Mayor’s leadership. “Noam is respected throughout the community for his hard work, clear vision, and personal commitment to fairness and inclusion,” said Rice. “He is a terrific colleague, who reaches across lines and shares credit to get things done.”

Bramson has been active in regional planning, development, and environmental efforts, and is highly-regarded beyond New Rochelle.

Mamaroneck Supervisor Nancy Seligson, a past President of Save the Sound, has worked with Bramson on a regional trail and park network and has supported his efforts to improve the Long Island Sound waterfront. Seligson said, “Noam is creative and collaborative, and he understands firsthand the impact of County government on every community. By pursuing regional solutions to regional problems, he will be a great chief executive for Westchester.”

And Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla, the current President of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association, said: “Noam is an extremely competent and very bright guy who always puts doing what’s right ahead of being political. His strong organizational and leadership skills are just what Westchester needs.”

Voters Will Have A Clear Choice On Social Issues
The matchup between Bramson and Astorino presents Westchester voters with a clear choice between a social progressive and a social conservative. Bramson supports a woman’s right to choose and favors marriage equality. By contrast, Astorino stands against reproductive rights and opposed New York’s marriage equality law, positions that place him far to the right of most County residents.

Francine “Frankie” Stein, past President/CEO of Planned Parenthood of Hudson-Peconic, said, “Choice will be on the ballot in 2013, and the women of Westchester deserve a County Executive who trusts us to make our own healthcare decisions. Noam supports family planning and access to reproductive health care, and he understands that strong, happy families are the backbone of successful communities.”

Noam Bramson, 43, is a lifelong Westchester resident and a product of the New Rochelle public schools. Bramson is married to Catherine (“Catie”) Stern, Ph.D., a clinical pediatric neuropsychologist, affiliated with Family Health Associates of White Plains and Manhattan. Their young sons, Jeremy and Owen, are both students in the New Rochelle public schools.

Bramson has served on the boards of numerous civic organizations, including the New Rochelle Campership Fund, the Castle Gallery, the Fund for Educational Excellence, the New Rochelle Council of Community Services, the Westchester Jewish Council, and the United Way of New Rochelle. He attended Harvard University, where he completed his undergraduate degree in three years, and then received a Masters degree in Public Policy.

First elected to New Rochelle City Council in 1995, Bramson has served as Mayor since 2006

Letter to supporters:

I am writing to share important news with you. Next year, when the people of Westchester have an opportunity to elect new leadership, I will be a candidate for County Executive.

You can click below to read the full press release, detailing my announcement.

Read the Press Release
Catie and I know this will be a tough fight, but we see a real opportunity to make a positive difference. And our commitment to public service carries with it a duty to act.

Let me tell you a little more about why we have decided to take on this challenge and why I would be so grateful to have your support.

Positive Change for Westchester

For Westchester to remain a vibrant place to raise a family, find a job, and enjoy a rewarding life, we need a County Executive with a coherent vision for growing our economy, for cutting government waste and inefficiency, and for making good on our commitment to seniors, children, and working parents.

For the past three years, Rob Astorino has neglected these priorities and placed our future at risk.

As County Executive, I will act with innovation and energy to shape a stronger, healthier, and more inclusive Westchester, in which every person counts.

It is time for a serious debate about our future, so I intend to offer a campaign of substance and ideas, forging partnerships to:

adopt forward-looking transit, land use, public health, and environmental plans that improve our quality of life, attract new jobs, and deliver greater value for every tax dollar;
confront the duplicative bureaucracy that drives up expenses, increases our regional tax burden, and crowds out essential investments in the future;
uphold the principle that we are in this together, and that our county will move forward when all people have an opportunity to succeed; and
stand confidently for a woman’s right to choose, marriage equality, inclusion, and Westchester’s mainstream values.
The Experience to Lead

The experiences, skills and achievements I have compiled as Mayor of New Rochelle prepare me to wage an effective campaign and, more importantly, govern our county with vision and determination.

I have led a diverse and complex community, brought people together to overcome difficult challenges, collaborated with partners throughout Westchester on regional priorities, and addressed issues directly relevant to our County, including:

successful economic development initiatives that have created new jobs and spurred hundreds of millions in new investment;
responsible budgets that have given New Rochelle the lowest city tax rate among Westchester’s urban centers, while meeting essential service priorities;
an award-winning sustainability plan that serves as a detailed twenty-year blueprint for environmental, economic, and social progress; and
measures to make New Rochelle more affordable and inclusive, such as the construction of new workforce housing and programs to provide job training and career skills to youngsters.
Because of these and other accomplishments, I won my last election with a record-setting 79% of the vote, running strong across every segment of the electorate in a politically competitive city.

I have also been an aide to Congresswoman Nita Lowey for more than twenty years and have learned from her the vital importance of hard work, outreach, and communication. I am very proud to have Nita Lowey’s endorsement in my race for County Executive.

A Contest of Values

An election this important needs to be bigger than a clash of personalities or an exercise in name-calling. This is a contest of fundamental values.

As immigrants who came to this country in the 1950s, my parents felt a sense of gratitude, almost a reverence, for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in a free society. They never took these things for granted, and they had no patience for those who looked upon the democratic process with cynicism.

Growing up, I was taught that all people should have goals larger than their own self-interest, that every person deserves respect, and that our own character is measured, in part, by the dignity of the least fortunate among us. With the right aims and in the right hands, government can be an instrument for achieving opportunity, fairness, and progress, and for making lives better.

These principles shape who I am and how I approach every aspect of public life, and I will always affirm my core beliefs with courage and conviction.

I Need Your Help

I look forward to speaking with you directly in the weeks ahead, but for now let me close with one essential point: no matter how much energy I apply to this challenge, I simply cannot do it alone. Victory will depend on a true team effort. I need your help.

Your encouragement has been instrumental in advancing our shared goals. As Catie and I embark on this campaign for a better Westchester, we would be honored if you would stand at our sides again.

If you would like to support my campaign, then please click below to learn more or to make a contribution.

I am running for County Executive to do right by our neighbors and fellow citizens, and to shape a future that my children — and all children — can greet with excitement.

It will be a tough challenge, but a worthy one, and Catie and I are filled with determination as we look ahead. Please join us.

Sincerely,