Ed Day Aims To Bridge Divides In Second Term As Rockland County Executive
NEW CITY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – For Republicans, one bright spot on Election Night was in Rockland County, where County Executive Ed Day won a second term.
Four years ago, Day inherited a fiscal mess.
"We were at the brink of bankruptcy when I walked in the door. We had $138 to our deficit," he told WCBS 880's Sean Adams Wednesday. "And in four years, we've knocked the deficit down to a projected zero for the end of 2017."
EXTRA: New York Results
Now, he wants to build up a rainy day fund, attract new businesses to Rockland, continue the crackdown on slumlords and over-development, and bridge divides within the county.
"There's clearly a division between the insular communities, mostly the Hasidic communities, in Rockland County and the remainder of the county," he said. "There needs to be a better job on both sides of understanding, of outreach, of knowledge. Because when we know each other better and we're not ignorant of each other, there's less of a chance of hatred."
In other county executive races, Democrat George Latimer defeated two-term incumbent Republican Rob Astorino in Westchester County, and Democrat Laura Curran has claimed victory over Republican Jack Martins, but he has yet to concede.