Photo by A. Warner

By Brooks Clifford

June 20, 2024: On Tuesday, June 25th, there will be a democratic primary for New York's 16th Congressional District, which includes Bronxville, and for Westchester County District Attorney. Below is information about the candidates and where and when to vote.

The Candidates

Candidates for New York's 16th Congressional District: Vote for One

The Candidates for New York's 16th Congressional District are Jamaal Bowman and George Latimer. 

Candidates Bowman and Latimer differ in their views and approaches to a number of important issues, including the Israel-Hamas war, making the Empire City site in Yonkers a full-fledge casino, and addressing income inequality and crime in Westchester.  They talked about their views in a debate on June 13th. CLICK HERE to read a summary of the views they expressed in the debate.

Below is biographical information about both candidates and their priorities if elected.  

Jamaal Bowman (incumbent) 

Congressman Jamaal Bowman earned a B. A. from the University of New Haven, a Master of Arts from Mercy College, and a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from Manhattanville College.

After 10 years as principal of Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, a public middle school in the Bronx, Jamaal Bowman was first elected to Congress in the Fall of 2020 and has now served two two-year terms.

During his years as a Congressman, Bowman has help secure over $1 billion in federal funding for his district and has invested in the community through gun violence prevention programs, health care, affordable housing, and climate action.

If re-elected for a third term, Congressman Bowman will focus on racial and economic injustice, the climate crisis, and the threat that the far right poses to democracy.

He would address these problems by taxing big corporations and investing that money into housing, infrastructure, health care, and jobs.

For more information, visit Jamaal Bowman For Congress.

George S. Latimer

George Latimer earned a B.A. from Fordham University and a Master's in Public Administration from NYU's Wagner School. Latimer then served as a marketing executive for Nestle and ITT subsidiaries.

Latimer has a long record of involvement in local politics. He was elected to the Westchester County State Assembly in 2004 and the Westchester County Senate in 2012. He then became the Westchester County Executive in 2018 and was reelected in 2021. Interestingly, Latimer has never lost an election in his 30 years in office.

Latimer has worked to achieve property tax cuts, build important and long-standing infrastructure projects, and develop social justice reform such as the Police Reform and Reimagining Task Force and the Anti-Wage Theft Law.

If elected to Congress, Latimer wants to protect voting rights, work on immigration reform, and defend minority and LGBTQ rights.

Latimer also wants to protect reproductive freedom by supporting a woman's right to an abortion.

Finally, Latimer wants to invest in infrastructure, especially affordable housing in Westchester.

For more information, visit George Latimer for Congress.

Candidates for Westchester County District Attorney: Vote for One

The current Westchester County District Attorney is Mimi Rocah who was elected in 2020 and is not running for a second four-year term, which she describes as the best decision for her family. 

There are two candidates for Westchester County District Attorney: Susan Cacace and William Wagstaff.  

Susan Cacace

Judge Susan Cacace was born and raised in Yonkers and has been living in Bronxville for 16 years.

Judge Cacace graduated with a B.A. from Pace University in 1986 and a J.D. from the Pace University School of Law in 1989. She then served 14 years as an Assistant District Attorney from 1989 to 2003, where she headed the D.A's Animal Cruelty Bureau.

From 2003 to 2005, Cacace was a partner at Dibbini and Cacace, serving as a criminal defense attorney. She was elected to the Westchester County Court in 2005 and became the longest tenured Westchester Country Court Judge with her retirement in December 2023.

For the last 14 years of her tenure, she led the sex offense department in Westchester County. Throughout her career, Judge Cacace has served as a prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge, allowing her to see the criminal justice system from all sides.

With this significant experience, Judge Cacace has a major emphasis on safety for the people of Westchester and the community as a whole. 

First, Judge Cacace wants to provide more resources to the sex offense unit to prosecute all types of sexual misconduct, and to the high technology unit to investigate internet crimes and prosecute sexual predators targeting children.

Second, Judge Cacace wants to separate the trials and investigations division of the gun and drug trafficking division into a distinct trials division and a distinct investigations division. She also wants to provide more resources to the investigations division to allow it to conduct long-term investigations on gun and opioid trafficking.

Finally, Judge Cacace wants to promote transparency between the D.A.'s office and the community by creating an advisory board composed of people who belong to communities that have been victims of these crimes.

In her interview with MyhometownBronxville.com, Judge Cacace summed up her candidacy well: “Having been a Westchester County resident my whole life, it’s important that Westchester stays safe and that we don’t become New York City. Safety is of utmost importance to me.”

For more information, visit Cacace for DA.

William Wagstaff

William Wagstaff is a graduate of Pace Law School and has an MBA from Fordham Business School.

Over the years, Candidate Wagstaff has served as the City of Mount Vernon's Special Prosecutor for Police Disciplinary Hearings, Special Counsel to Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard and the City's Law Department, Member of the Police Reform Commission, and Chair of Mayor Patterson Howard's Judicial Appointment Committee.

He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society of Westchester.  He has also had a law practice which focuses on civil rights litigation, criminal defense, and municipal law.

As District Attorney, Wagstaff wants to prioritize using data-driven methods to address crime and drivers of crime, with a focus on reducing recidivism using diversion, encouraging the treatment of mental illness and drug addiction, promoting restorative justice, and providing support for police while holding them accountable.

For more information, visit William Wagstaff for District Attorney.

Where and When to Vote

Vote Early: Early in person voting began Saturday, June 15th and runs until Sunday, June 23rd. The hours are as follows: 

-Sat/Sun hours: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m

-Mon/Wed/Fri hours: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m

-Tues/Thurs hours: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.

The closest location to Bronxville for early in-person voting is the Eastchester Public Library at 11 Oakridge Place, Eastchester, NY 10709.

Vote Election Day: Election day is Tuesday, June 25th. 

-For Districts 16 and 17, voting takes place at Iona College (171 White Plains Road).

-For Districts 18, 19, and 21, voting takes place at the Bronxville School

-For Districts 20 and 22, voting takes place at Christ Church (18 Kensington Road).

If you are unsure about your voting district, you can locate it on the map below.

Make sure to vote and support your candidate on June 25th!  The winners in these primary races will be the candidates in the fall general election.