RyeCity REVIEW THE
November 5, 2021 | Vol. 9, Number 42 | www.ryecityreview.com
Latimer coasts to 2nd county executive win
Joy ride Westchester County Executive George Latimer previewed his 2022 proposed Operating Budget, announcing a $7 million cut to the property tax levy. The reduction still allows for funding to improve county properties like Playland Amusement Park. For more, see page 4.
Robert Durst indicted for the 1982 murder of wife Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced that Robert Durst was indicted for the murder of his first wife, Kathleen Durst, in South Salem on or about Jan. 31, 1982. Durst, 78, was charged by a Westchester County Grand Jury in an indictment on Nov. 1, 2021, with murder in the second degree. Durst previously was charged in a complaint filed on Oct. 19, 2021, with murder in the second degree. “When Kathleen Durst disappeared on January 31, 1982, her family and friends were left with pain, anguish and questions that have contributed to their unfaltering pursuit of justice for the last 39 years,” Rocah said. “The District Attorney’s Office reinvigo-
rated its investigation into Robert Durst just 10 months ago when I took Office, launched the Cold Case Bureau, and dedicated the resources and skill that I thought this case deserved. Thanks to the incredible hard work of our Assistant District Attorneys, the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigators and the New York State Police, we have taken a huge step forward in the pursuit of justice for Kathie Durst, her family and victims of domestic violence everywhere.” The investigation was handled by the Cold Case Bureau, which was established in January to help work towards solving cases and giving closure to families of homicide victims. Cold Case Bu-
reau Chief Laura Murphy, who is assisted by Chief Investigator Daniel McKenna, leads the bureau. They work collaboratively with other Criminal Investigators in the District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, and law enforcement agencies from across the country. The investigation into the disappearance and alleged murder of 29-year-old Kathleen Durst was a collaborative effort by the Cold Case Bureau, the District Attorney’s criminal investigators, Bureau chiefs Nadine Nagler and Maria Wager, New York State Police Investigator Joseph Becerra, and other members of the New York State police and the
Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office also assisted in the investigation. “For nearly four decades there has been a great deal of speculation about this case, much of it fueled by Robert Durst’s own highly publicized statements,” Rocah said. “An indictment is a crucial step in the process of holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions.” A warrant has been issued for Durst’s arrest for the murder of Kathleen Durst. The charges against the defendant are merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. (Submitted)
Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a Democrat, easily won reelection to a second term on Tuesday night in a race that never materialize into much of a contest. According to county Board of Elections data, Latimer secured 62% of the vote, or 94,833 votes, with 100% of precincts reporting. His Republican challenger, Christine Sculti—a former member of Rob Astorino’s administration, the previous county executive—finished with 38% or 58,069 votes. Latimer first won election to the county’s top elected post in 2017 defeating the incumbent Astorino in a heated and spirited campaign. This time around, Sculti didn’t pose nearly the challenge for the longtime politician and wildly popular Latimer. For Latimer, a resident of the city of Rye, the win gives him 20 consecutive election victories dating back to his first foray into politics in the ‘80s when he won a seat on the Rye City Council. But his lengthy politi-
George Latimer
cal career may hit a dead end in the coming years, as the county executive will be term-limited out of office following the conclusion of his second term in 2025. During his first term, Latimer signed into law a bill enacting two-term limits for county executives. Prior to that law, no county executive had ever won election to a third term. County executives are elected to serve four-year terms and take home an annual salary of approximately $160,000. -Review
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