Westchester County Says Emotional Goodbye to Veterans Boykin and Parker with Top Honor

WHITE PLAINS, NY (December 9, 2025) — The Westchester County Board of Legislators awarded its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, to outgoing Legislators Benjamin Boykin II and Catherine F. Parker during the board’s final meeting of 2025.

Both Democrats completed six consecutive terms and will leave office at the end of December because of term limits.

Board Chairman Vedat Gashi, D–New Castle, Ossining, Somers, Yorktown, called the departures “especially poignant” and praised Boykin for serving as the 80th president of the New York State Association of Counties, chairing the board for two terms, guiding the county through the COVID-19 pandemic, introducing technological advances and leading the first board with majorities of women and people of color.

Gashi highlighted Parker’s 18 years of public service — six on the Rye City Council and 12 on the county board — and her work on flood-control measures, creation of a County Office of Sustainability and management of Rye Playland.

“We will deeply miss Ben and Catherine’s wisdom, their unwavering commitment to service, and their friendship,” Gashi said. “And we know they’ll take our calls in the future.”

County Executive Ken Jenkins congratulated the pair on their “well-deserved retirement,” noting Boykin’s leadership through complex budgets and the pandemic and Parker’s advocacy for Sound Shore communities and quality-of-life issues.

Boykin, D–White Plains, Scarsdale, West Harrison, said he was “humbled and honored” by the award and described his 12-year tenure as “historic and transformative.”

Parker, D–Harrison, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye, called her service “the honor and privilege of my life” and said she leaves office believing “government can be a force for good.”

Majority Leader David T. Imamura, D–Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Edgemont, Hartsdale, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, said Boykin and Parker “truly leave Westchester a better place than they found it.”

Colleagues expressed gratitude for the legislators’ leadership, friendship and institutional knowledge, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The awards ceremony was followed immediately by a special meeting to vote on the 2026 budget.

This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.