March 30, 2018

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RyeCity REVIEW THE

March 30, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 13 | www.ryecityreview.com

County executive approves immigration legislation By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer

New name, same mission

Leslie Gordon, CEO of Feeding Westchester, formerly known as Food Bank for Westchester, unveils a sign with organization’s new name. For more, see page 6. Photo courtesy Feeding Westchester

2 Rye school board members seeking re-election Three seats are up for grabs in this year’s Rye City School District Board of Education election. And according to Sarah Derman, the school district’s public information officer, two incumbent board members will run for re-election, while another is stepping away from the position. Both Chris Repetto and Kelly Smith-Powers have indicated that they will seek another term on the Board of Education. Repetto has served on the school board since 2012 and has three children in the school district. Smith-Powers, who has lived in Rye for six years, also has three children in the district. Nancy Pasquale, who has served two terms on the school

board, will not seek re-election this time around. School board members serve three-year terms and are not paid for their work. The board is made up of seven members, including individuals that have lived in Rye for at least one year. Before the three incumbents’ terms expire on June 30, the election will be held on May 15. The three candidates who receive the greatest amount of votes will be elected to office, and will begin their terms on July 1. According to Derman, no other candidates have expressed interest in running for a posiThe Rye City School District Board of Education’s Chris Repetto and tion on the school board, as of Kelly Smith-Powers will seek re-election as members of the school board, press time. while two-term incumbent Nancy Pasquale has decided not seek a third -Reporting by Franco Fino

term. File photo

Democratic Westchester County Executive George Latimer has signed a bill that protects undocumented immigrants from federal law enforcement agencies. Dubbed the Immigration Protection Act, the county executive approved the legislation—it passed earlier this month in an 11-3 vote—on March 20. The bill was crafted by county Legislator Catherine Borgia, an Ossining Democrat who proposed a similar idea last year that was eventually vetoed by former County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican. The policy will prevent Westchester law enforcement officials from cooperating with federal agencies such as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, and Customs and Border Patrol, as well as prevent county authorities from questioning individuals about their immigration status. The legislation will also require county authorities to ignore detainer requests from federal immigration agents for individuals being held at Westchester County Jail, unless the requests are accompanied by a judicial warrant. “This law makes all Westchester residents safer by increasing trust between communities and allowing Westchester law enforcement officials to focus on their job,” Latimer said in a statement. The county executive added the legislation does not violate federal law and will not make Westchester a “sanctuary county.” Representatives from county law enforcement, including the

heads of the Public Safety, Corrections and Probation departments, all stated that they support the new law. Micahel Hagan, the president of the county Police Benevolent Association, said he appreciated how county lawmakers included law enforcement officials’ ideas in the legislation. “The input we had in this thorough process allowed for a measure that will allow us to do what we are tasked to do,” he said. Despite support from county law enforcement, members of the Westchester Board of Legislators’ Republican caucus are maintaining that the policy will make Westchester incompliant with federal guidelines. Earlier this month, Legislator Margaret Cunzio, of Mount Pleasant, and Minority Leader John Testa, of Peekskill, both Republicans who voted against the bill, said the county lost an opportunity to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security to discuss how to construct that act so that it would be on par with federal law. As of press time, it’s unclear whether the immigration law will make Westchester a sanctuary county, as an executive order from last year by Republican President Donald Trump does not indicate what makes a municipality a “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants. Several elements of the executive order, including one aspect that restricts federal funding from municipalities that are considered a sanctuary, are also being questioned about their constitutionality. CONTACT: franco@hometwn.com

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