Democracy 101
What office is this? What does this person actually do day-to-day? Westchester County Legislator. They oversee county-level infrastructure and social services — Medicaid, SNAP, child care assistance, homeless services, sewage and sanitation infrastructure, parks, and county bus routes (the Bee-Line system). They sit on legislative committees (housing, appointments, labor, parks) and control county budget allocations.
What district/area does it cover? District 15 — all of Bronxville, part of Eastchester, and roughly a quarter of the city of Yonkers (the east side, including the Midland Avenue/Kimball Avenue area and the Warburton corridor). The winner of the Democratic primary faces Republican incumbent James Nolan in November.
The Candidates
Kisha Skipper
Democrat, 35 years. Founder and chairperson of the Little Lions Big Hearts Foundation (supports families with infants born with congenital heart defects); previously a legislative aide to the Yonkers City Council for nearly six years and an election technician with the Westchester County Board of Elections. Serves on the Climate Safe Yonkers Task Force's air quality and flood mitigation working groups.
Campaign Website: https://www.kishaforwestchester.com/
Why running: Says the district has been underrepresented by an incumbent whose positions don't align with the community, and that her background in housing and energy advocacy makes her positioned to represent the district's needs.
Policy positions:
- Wants to chair the Housing Committee and push beyond current efforts on housing and homelessness
- Wants a new countywide housing needs assessment (the current one is from 2018) and supports increasing set-asides and lowering the area median income (AMI) threshold that defines "affordable" housing
- Proposes a formal flood-risk assessment across different geographic pockets of the district (Bronx River Parkway, Sawmill River, etc.) before committing to specific infrastructure fixes
Anthony Nicodemo
Democrat. Special education social studies teacher for 20 years; high school basketball coach for nearly 30 years; president of the Greenburgh North Castle United Teachers union for nine years; board member of NYSUT; chair of Mayor Mike Spano's LGBTQ Advisory Board; president of the Hudson Valley Stonewall Democrats.
Campaign Website: https://www.nicodemony.com/
Why running: Says the district deserves leadership that "listens, leads with integrity, and works to unite people," and that his coalition-building experience across union, education, and advocacy work qualifies him to flip the seat from Republican control.
Policy positions:
- Wants to expand EV charging access for residents in multi-unit apartment buildings who can't install home chargers
- Supports continued and increased county flood mitigation funding, especially since federal Army Corps of Engineers support has been cut under the current administration
- Wants to lower income eligibility thresholds for low-income housing programs and expand down-payment assistance for first-time buyers
The Issues
Central disagreement: Both candidates broadly agree on the problems (housing costs, flooding, air quality, transit gaps) but differ in approach. Skipper repeatedly calls for formal needs assessments and audits before committing resources — on housing, flooding, and transportation alike — arguing decisions should be data-driven. Nicodemo leans on his existing relationships with county and state officials (Mayor Spano, County Executives Latimer and Jenkins) and frames his approach as continuing and expanding what's already been funded rather than re-assessing from scratch.
What's at stake for Yonkers (quality of life framing):
- Housing: Both cite the county's 2018 housing needs assessment, which found a gap of roughly 12,000 units, projected to grow to nearly 70,000 by 2040. Skipper wants a new assessment and lower AMI thresholds; Nicodemo wants expanded down-payment assistance and continued low-income eligibility expansion.
- Flooding/infrastructure: Both districts deal with repeated flooding tied to the Bronx River and Sawmill River. Nicodemo points to existing county funding and criticizes the incumbent for voting against budgets that included flood mitigation dollars. Skipper wants a geographic-specific audit before further spending, since flooding isn't uniform across the district.
- Air quality: Both candidates flag pollution from the Yonkers sewage treatment plant and resulting odor and respiratory effects, particularly in the Liberty Park area, with Skipper noting Yonkers-area children have elevated rates of lung disease.
- Transit: Both want improved Bee-Line bus service. Skipper specifically raises paratransit failures for seniors and disabled residents (citing waits up to two hours) and wants free or subsidized busing where transportation costs create hardship. Nicodemo focuses on better-organized routes for students who currently need two or three buses to reach school.
The Campaign
Endorsements worth noting:
- Nicodemo: Every Democratic committee in the district (Yonkers, Bronxville, Eastchester), Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy, State Senator Shelley Mayer, County Executive Ken Jenkins
- Skipper: No specific named endorsements mentioned in this forum
The Takeaway
Anthony Nicodemo is running on coalition-building and continuity, leaning on existing relationships with county and city officials to keep expanding funding that's already in motion.
Kisha Skipper is running on data and oversight, arguing the county needs updated assessments on housing, flooding, and transit before committing more money, with a specific focus on accountability for seniors, disabled residents, and immigrant communities.