I watched in disbelief last month as Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino launched his campaign for governor and tried to reinvent his record on taxes in his home county. As someone who served on the County Board of Legislators and battled with Astorino over taxes, I was astonished at his decision to try to turn history on its head by misleading New Yorkers about his tax record.
When Astorino ran for office, he boldly committed to cutting taxes by 20 percent in four years. As the Westchester County executive, when he was presented with a tax cut by the Board of Legislators of 2.2 percent, he vetoed it, calling it "reprehensible." It took a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans to override his veto and restore the tax cut we passed in our 2011 county budget. This is the only tax cut that has ever been enacted while Astorino has been county executive — and it passed over his veto.
In Westchester, we know that Astorino has a long history of misstating his record. New Yorkers are just beginning to find that out. Not only is he is now trying to take credit for a tax cut he fought against and ultimately vetoed, but he is also claiming he reduced taxes more than any other county in New York. The facts tell a different story: Onondaga County reduced its tax levy over the same four-year period by 22 percent. Yet Astorino's own campaign ad claims otherwise.
Why, when the public record is so clear, would Astorino be so brazenly willing to mislead? Because his Achilles heel in his campaign for governor is rooted in the fact that Westchester County is the highest taxed county, not only in New York, but in the nation. He was elected on a promise to cut taxes by 20 percent, and after four years and four budgets, Astorino has never delivered on his promise. And when he was presented with a tax cut, he vetoed it. The bottom line is: Astorino has never actually cut taxes.
The Westchester County executive has made a habit of not delivering on his brash promises. Just last year, while campaigning for re-election, he committed to the voters of Westchester that the county's existing bond rating would remain intact. In fact, he called his promise a "guarantee." Six months later, Moody's downgraded Westchester County's bond rating.
Election years are often referred to as "silly season," in large part because politicians are often so willing to say and do anything to get elected. Astorino's claim as a tax-cutter in Westchester is more than just silly. It's not true, and not based on the facts.
As the campaign season continues to unfold I fully expect, based on my experience working with Astorino, to hear him continue to say one thing while his record shows something completely different. And in each and every instance, it's imperative that those who know him best hold him accountable for his untruths.
The writer is a former Westchester County legislator.