Dear Friends and Neighbors, Advocating for fair energy rates is not just about policy; it is about people. That is why I spoke out yesterday at the Public Service Commission's input session in White Plains, urging them to deny Con Edison's latest proposed rate hike. After two and a half years of steady increases, Westchester residents need a break. I shared how energy costs ripple far beyond individual homeowners. Some residents have tried to cut their usage by lowering their thermostats during the winter, but many do not have that option. New York's Property Maintenance Code requires landlords, building owners, and businesses to maintain indoor temperatures of at least 68 degrees from October through May. That means renters, small business tenants, schools, nonprofits, and even local municipalities are left with no way to r...
Last month, the Westchester County Office of Economic Development, in partnership with Sustainable Westchester, hosted the Westchester County Clean Energy Job and Resource Fair. The event highlighted the growing demand for good-paying, forward-looking careers in solar, green construction, energy efficiency, and electrification. These are Tier 1 jobs that make our communities cleaner, safer, and more resilient. Yet just days later, the Senate passed an amended version of the "One Big Beautiful Bill," which rolls back critical clean energy incentives and puts hundreds of thousands of these jobs at risk. The bill now heads back to the House for a final vote, and the outcome will directly affect the kinds of opportunities we are working to create here in Westchester. The consequences extend far beyond our local economy. China already manufactures over 80 percent of the world's solar panels and dominates the global supply chain. Weakening U.S. investment...