After 16 Years in County Government, District 5 Legislator Bill Ryan is Moving On
Westchester County Legislator, Bill Ryan (D-White Plains) is leaving public office when his term as Legislator for District 5 ends on December 31. White Plains Councilman, Benjamin Boykin, ran for that seat and won when Ryan left the seat open in his unsuccessful bid to win the Democratic endorsement for Westchester County Executive last summer.
For Ryan, who is well known for fighting the good fight despite any political challenges that have been thrown across his path in recent years, it is the close of a long period in his life that began back in 1974 when he won a Democratic District Leader post in Peekskill. From there he served in many political positions, at different government levels, eventually bringing him to the County Board of Legislators (BOL) in 1997, where he remained for 16 years. During that time (from 2004 to 2009) he served as BOL chair, the longest stretch for anyone in that position in the history of the Board.
During his last term, Ryan chaired the Board’s Committee on Legislation. He also served on the Budget & Appropriations, Government Operations and Public Safety committees.
At the national level, Ryan is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Counties (NACo), as well as a member of NACo’s Membership Committee, Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee, Immigration Task Force and the Large Urban County Caucus. At the state level, he is the liaison for the Board of Directors of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) to the NACo Board and past President of NYSAC, 2010-2011.
Looking back, Ryan feels his participation on these state and national committees contributed to his education as a county public official. “The knowledge gained and my understanding of the experiences of other county officials across the nation put me in a position to apply what I learned locally. The sharing of information among thousands of county officials is invaluable,” he said.
Ryan continued: “My membership on these committees gave me access to federal decision makers and a role in shaping legislative policy to benefit counties in the areas of health and human services, transportation, public safety and infrastructure renewal. Millions of dollars in federal assistance flow to counties and local governments through programs that the national association helps shape.”
Usually, when a member leaves county service, the service with the state and national associations comes to an end. However, Ryan says NYSAC and NACo would like him to continue on with them and that is currently under discussion.
“Should I not continue with the state and national associations, I hope Westchester County government remains active and new representatives emerge who can advocate for the needs of Westchester and White Plains, the county seat,” he said.
Regarding greatest accomplishments during his 16 years on the Board, Ryan says he has two. From day one as Chairman of the Board, Ryan worked to firmly re-establish the proper role of the Board of Legislators as a separate, co-equal branch of County government, working cooperatively with the Executive branch and not subordinate to it.
As a legislator he worked to improve operations and service delivery. “As Public Safety Chairman, I was the driving force behind the creation of the Department of Emergency Services (DES), putting the management of an array of services under a professional commission utilizing state-of-the-art CAD (computer-aided dispatch) and radio communications technology. DES is the County control center for emergency preparedness and response, dispatching resources to fires, emergency medical events, hazardous materials spills, and emergencies involving chemical, biological and radiological agents and WMDs. DES is the mutual aid administrator for Westchester’s municipalities and it handles the primary dispatch function for many local fire and ems departments. DES also operates the County’s fire training center providing education and training to the regions paid and volunteer firefighters and emergency responders,” Ryan explained.
His greatest disappointment: “The difficulty of educating our residents on the importance of County government. I found this to be a tough challenge and an ongoing education process. Even as BOL Chair I thought I could accomplish more when it came to the public’s understanding of the role of the county in the overall system of government. It’s a difficult task. The entire BOL has struggled with this over the years and we were not alone. County officials across the country continually point to building the public’s understanding of counties and the important work that they do each day as a real challenge.”
As he leaves, Ryan is clear that he wants to see the results of his efforts continue on, especially The Department of Emergency Services.
Other efforts include the Charter Revision Commission and a periodic review of the County’s role as the administrative arm of the state for service delivery, as well as the relationship between the County and Westchester’s municipalities for the provision of programs and services.
To the new District 5 Legislator, Ben Boykin, Ryan says: “The County isn’t the problem. It’s the solution. Regional government offers tremendous opportunity for economy and efficiency through the centralization of essential services.”
Ryan also emphasizes that: “How we provide and finance essential services for our residents is an area Westchester should be working on most aggressively in the future. Westchester needs to continue to work with other large counties in New York to press the state for real and meaningful mandate relief. Medicaid and other burdensome mandates keep county property taxes high.”
In closing, Ryan said: “Finally, it’s been an honor and privilege to represent our wonderful community of White Plains and our great neighbors: Scarsdale, Harrison and North Castle. I was given an opportunity to work with residents and public officials at all levels to make our county community a better place for all of us to live and raise a family. To all of my constituents let me say thank you for allowing me to serve you.”
In leaving Ryan acknowledges that we will not see his name on the ballot anytime soon. He intends to remain in White Plains, make a living and be active in the community.
