The Westchester County Executive is the head of the

executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ...

of the

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

, New York, government. The current county executive is George Latimer. The county executive has power to

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

acts of

Westchester County Board of Legislators The Westchester County Board of Legislators is the legislative, policy-making branch of Westchester County. The powers of the Board are enumerated in the county's charter. A key power of the Board concerns finances: appropriating funds, approving ...

. The Westchester Deputy County Executive serves as the direct subordinate to the County Executive.

History

The office of Westchester County Executive was created in 1937 when voters approved a new county

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

giving the county an executive branch to complement the legislative County Board of Supervisors (later the County Board of Legislators).

History of county executives

Westchester County executives since the creation of the position include: {, class="wikitable" !Term !Name !Party , - , 1939–1941 , William F. Bleakley , ,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, - , 1941–1953 , Herbert Clinton Gerlach , , Republican , - , 1954–1957 , James Daniel Hopkins , , Republican , - , 1958–1973 , Edwin Gilbert Michaelian , , Republican , - , 1974–1982 , Alfred Benedict Del Bello , , Democratic , - , 1983–1997 , Andrew Patrick O'Rourke , , Republican , - , 1998–2009 , Andrew J. Spano , , Democratic , - , 2010–2017 , Robert P. Astorino , , Republican , - , 2018–present , George Latimer , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic

References

Westchester County, New York