Pierce and Vala face off for County Board of Legislators seat

By MARTIN WILBUR

Democratic County Legislator Erika Pierce seeks a third full two-year term on the Board of Legislators next week, opposed by Somers businessman Jozef Vala, a Republican, in the race for the District 2 seat.

County Legislator candidates Erika Pierce and Jozef Vala.

Pierce, a 26-year district resident who also is on the Working Families line, has served on the board since January 2022. Previously, she ran a nonprofit theater company with educational and veterans’ programs, worked as a certified teacher, and for decades, ran a printing company in New York City. She has also volunteered with and served in leadership roles for many local nonprofits, schools and libraries. 

Vala grew up in Astoria, Queens, and moved to Westchester in the early 2000s. He has more than 30 years’ experience in sales leadership, negotiating contracts and growing businesses. In Westchester, he previously ran for the Somers Board of Education and has been actively involved in the PTA and the local education foundation.

Why did you decide to run for county legislator?

Erika Pierce: It has been an honor to serve two, two-year terms and the current one-year term. In nearly five years, we have gotten a lot done, but the work is far from finished.

I took office during the COVID pandemic, a crisis for our families and local businesses. Today we face another crisis. Tariffs, the war with Iran and cuts to health insurance are accelerating an affordability crisis that is hitting far too many. Programs at-risk residents count on are being cut. And we have other battles. It is hard to believe we are still fighting the NYSEG rate case that began in June 2025. Ratepayers deserve better service, and we need an electric grid built to serve our needs, not just those of AI, at a price we can afford. We also need to keep investing in housing and fighting for clean water.

My grandmother taught me that the best thing we can do with our lives is keep showing up for others. That’s what I’ve tried to do every day in this job. With strong relationships at the local, county, state and national levels, I want to keep showing up for District 2. 

Jozef Vala: I decided to run because too many decisions affecting families in this district are being driven by process, bureaucracy and outside priorities rather than practical results and local input. Through my years in business and my involvement in education and community issues, I have seen a recurring pattern: promises are made, communication becomes complicated and accountability is often lacking.

I want to bring a straightforward, results-driven approach to county government that prioritizes families, local control, fiscal responsibility and transparency. Residents deserve clear communication and a government that focuses on delivering measurable results.

What should be the top infrastructure priorities for the district and the county?

Vala: The county’s top infrastructure priorities should be reliable and affordable energy, well-maintained roads and bridges and essential projects that directly improve residents’ quality of life. Rising energy costs place a significant burden on families and businesses, and all practical options for lowering those costs should be considered.

We also need to focus on maintaining roads, drainage systems and public facilities with clear timelines, transparent budgeting and accountability. Infrastructure investments should be based on measurable community needs and completed efficiently, rather than becoming open-ended projects with uncertain outcomes.

Pierce: In District 2, it starts with water. Many of our homes rely on private wells and septic systems, and PFAS contamination has made funding an urgent priority. Home wells and non-municipal water systems serving schools and townhouse developments have often been ineligible for funding to tackle the problem. New York state’s new program to address PFAS in home wells is an important first step. I’ll keep fighting for the county, state and federal funding our communities need to test, treat and protect our water.

We also need to fix our aging electric grid and make our communities more resilient. I’ll keep working with the Public Service Commission, our state partners and the utilities to harden our grid and manage vegetation more effectively. And as more power-hungry data centers come online, our communities deserve a real say in where they’re built, and residents deserve protection for their access to affordable electricity.

What steps should the county take to encourage the development of more affordable housing throughout Westchester?

Pierce: Many seniors want to age in place, and rising mortgage rates and housing costs make moving difficult or impossible. With so few homes for sale, prices keep climbing: the median price for a single-family home recently reached a record $1.13 million.

We need more homes and apartments suited to new families, young people and those who want to downsize at prices they can afford. Without them, our communities will have fewer first responders, fewer children in our schools, fewer teachers and fewer people supporting our local businesses, as well as parents unable to live near their grown children.

The county doesn’t decide where housing goes; that power sits with our towns, cities and villages. We partner with them to help fund the projects they have approved. If reelected, I’ll keep supporting funding for land acquisition, infrastructure and gap financing, dollars that often make affordable projects possible and that have helped to create over 4,000 units of affordable housing, including in Goldens Bridge and Bedford. Our Planning Department has also helped towns consider tools like floating and overlay zones, which make it easier to site projects such as senior housing. For the 2027 budget, I’m supporting $75 million for new affordable housing across Westchester.

Vala: The county should promote housing solutions that respect local zoning laws, home rule and the character of existing communities. Rather than imposing one-size-fits-all mandates, we should streamline approval processes for projects that towns and villages support and encourage practical options such as accessory dwelling units and carefully planned infill development where appropriate.

The county’s role should be to remove unnecessary barriers and costs while allowing local communities to guide development decisions. Affordable housing solutions should balance the needs of working families with the importance of preserving neighborhood character, open space and local control.

How would you assess the job done by the Mobile Crisis Response Team, and what other actions might the county take to help those with mental health challenges?

Vala: I believe the Mobile Crisis Response Team should be evaluated based on measurable outcomes, including response times, safe resolution of incidents, follow-up support for individuals and families and reductions in repeat crises or unnecessary escalations.

Supporting residents facing mental health challenges requires a practical and accountable approach. The county should strengthen partnerships with local providers, improve access to resources for families and first responders and ensure that programs are regularly evaluated for effectiveness. Success should be measured by outcomes, not simply by the size or expansion of programs.

Pierce: Project Alliance and the Mobile Crisis Response Team grew out of the county’s 2020 Police Reform and Reimagining Task Force. The team places trained mental health professionals regionally throughout the county, and local police call on them to support when responding to a mental health crisis. They follow up with the individual and help coordinate ongoing care, another important benefit. Counties across the country are copying this model.

The team can only help when it’s called. I’ve met with our police chiefs, town supervisors and Department of Community Mental Health commissioner to make sure public safety officials know how and when to access the program. We can and must keep improving communication among police, the team and our hospitals. Crisis response doesn’t replace ongoing care, and with federal healthcare cuts, fewer people will be able to get the treatment they need as funding grows harder to find. This will only increase the number of people in crisis. The county and our nonprofit partners will need to work together to make sure no one falls through the cracks.

For many, affordability is a top concern. What would you like to see the county do to help keep Westchester as affordable as possible?

Pierce: I’ll keep working to share millions of dollars in sales tax revenue with our towns and schools. These dollars fund vital services and help keep property and school taxes in check. I’ll keep fighting for funding for the county’s childcare scholarship program, a lifeline for young families, along with needed dollars for our food pantries, after-school programs and senior programs, including Meals on Wheels. I’ll keep working with Hilltop Hanover, the county’s farm, to address food insecurity and keep our parks programs and summer camps affordable. Our Planning Department will keep helping towns with model ordinances and guidance that save them time and money.

Healthcare is outside the county’s direct control, but it touches every part of our economy. That’s why I’ll keep pressing for a federal government that is a partner to local governments, rather than one that pushes costs onto counties and families. Affordability matters whether you’re sitting at your kitchen table or at a committee table, and it should be every elected official’s top priority right now.

Vala: The county must control spending, avoid mandates that increase costs for local governments and taxpayers and focus on addressing the factors that make Westchester increasingly expensive for families and small businesses.

This includes carefully reviewing county spending for efficiency, challenging unfunded mandates that shift costs to local communities and pursuing policies that help reduce energy costs. We must also work to keep property taxes and fees under control, protect local decision-making on land use and ensure that county programs are transparent and accountable.

Residents deserve a county government that treats their tax dollars responsibly and measures success by whether working families can continue to afford to live, work and raise their families in Westchester County.