Corcoran Hoping Second Term is in His Future on County Board

Francis Corcoran may be finishing his first two-year term on the county Board of Legislators, but it hasn’t taken him long to enjoy the experience.

“I’m running again because I love it and I really do feel like I’m making a difference,” said Corcoran, 54, who spent 13 years on the Bedford Town Board. “I’m helping to change peoples’ lives and for me it’s true public service; it’s an honor and a privilege to be an elected official to represent everybody, to hear the things that are important to them and try to find ways to work to get those things that they need.”

Corcoran said his proudest moment of the past two years came when he received funding to lease a center for domestic violence in Lewisboro. While similar services are available elsewhere in the county, Corcoran said the facility is more accessible to those living in northern Westchester, including his district’s residents.

“It’s important for people to know that services like this are at your doorstep,” Corcoran said.

The intermunicipal agreement between local elected officials is a prime example of shared services, Corcoran said. County officials need to continue finding ways to share resources and offset taxes at the local level.

Corcoran said he doesn’t believe in raising taxes, but claimed property taxes must always be evaluated. He added that workforce housing should be made available to first responders who can’t afford a down payment on a house.

“We’re paying way too much in taxes, and especially in northern Westchester,” Corcoran said. “We’re more of a donor district than a receiver district.”

In order to maintain taxes, the county needs to find opportunities to increase revenue. Leasing the county airport could potentially maximize assets, ultimately taking pressure off the operating and capital budget.

Corcoran, the only Republican on the three-member task force examining the county airport, said County Executive Rob Astorino’s original deal to lease the airport began as a conversation into how it is being operated and maintained. He said the task force is forming a broader, more expansive and transparent proposal to determine if the idea is worth supporting.

“We’ve spent hundreds of hours choosing a consultant to put together the RFP, reading the RFP, meeting with bidders, now getting to recommend one who we think would be the best operator and deal for the county,” Corcoran said. “My mind is not set, and a majority of my colleagues are open-minded about this because we don’t know until we see what the numbers are and how it’s going to work and what it’s going to do for the county.”

He added the contract would follow the guidelines of the existing terminal use agreement, meaning no expansion to the airport, no increase in the number of gates, no new runways and stricter environmental protections.

“I don’t want expansion, nobody wants expansion,” he said. “This is an economic stimulant. We’re making it better, more accessible and efficient.”

Corcoran voted against the controversial Immigrant Protection Act, explaining that he couldn’t vote for a bill that law enforcement didn’t support. Initially, he said, he wanted to back the legislation, but couldn’t in its final form.

“At the end of the day, it was a cynical, political move to rush it out of the committee with law enforcement still sitting down there at the end wanting to make some changes to it, to get it to the floor to a vote,” he said. “Had it included some of the things law enforcement had hoped for, I would have supported it.”

Corcoran said had the immigrant community been unsafe he would have supported a measure that gave them greater protection. However, the county and its police does not engage in immigration enforcement. He added that Astorino’s executive order, which received police support, was the right move.

Opponent Kitley Covill has stated that she doesn’t believe Corcoran has been a presence in the community or done enough to serve the district. Corcoran refuted that assertion, stating that he works hard throughout the district attending events, ribbon cuttings, forums and speaking with residents and town supervisors on a daily basis. When he’s not in the district, he’s representing constituents in White Plains.

While tensions have run deep on the Board of Legislators regarding gun control, immigration and the airport, Corcoran said he doesn’t engage in the political bickering, but rather works to bring fairness and a collegial atmosphere.

“I’m really proud to represent northern Westchester. I’m doing this because I’m a public servant and I’m trying to do the best I can for the people in our community,” Corcoran said.

Anna Young