Jenkins is a friend of Ghanaians in Westchester County

Ken Jenkins is a friend of Ghanaians in Westchester County.

There are a lot of good reasons why Ken Jenkins should and will be the next County Executive. His record on fiscal and social issues is outstanding; his leadership of the county-wide Democratic Majority on the Board of Legislators has been admirable. He’s ahead among Democratic District Leaders as we approach the Convention. But, most importantly, he’s the strongest candidate in November - for a number of reasons. Here are two:

First, to win the General Election, the Democratic candidate cannot be on the wrong side of the taxes debate. We learned this in 2009. We don’t need a similar lesson in 2013. Ken Jenkins is the only candidate who is not vulnerable on this issue. He has a strong record of reducing County taxes even more than the current County Executive. Make no mistake, we cannot win if we lose the tax argument, and Ken is the only one who can’t be smeared as a “Tax and Spend” Democrat.

Secondly, we must win Yonkers. During my five years as the Chairman of the Westchester County Democratic Committee and 18 years as Treasurer for the New York State Democratic Committee, I have seen what it takes for Democrats to win. The cold, hard reality is that as far back as I can remember (and I’ve been around a while), no candidate has won the County Executive race without winning the city of Yonkers. The reason for this is simple: Yonkers makes up an enormous portion of Westchester County. During my time as County Chairman, I have seen races where we lost the vote in Yonkers, won everywhere else, but still lost the election.

As you can see, Yonkers will determine the outcome of the election in November. Rob Astorino knows this well after winning 57% of the vote there in 2009. The Democratic candidate most likely to win in Yonkers is Ken Jenkins. This cannot be disputed. He’s a favorite son; the residents of Yonkers know and like him. His political organization runs throughout the city. There is no doubt about it; he will beat Astorino in Yonkers and thus the election in November.

Put aside, for a moment, those important pieces we all talk and care about—the social and economic realities our people face. Look at how County Executive races have been won or lost. Be pragmatic and ask yourself who can win, who will be the likeliest victor in what will be a difficult but winnable campaign. It’s Ken.

He is strong enough to speak his mind, tough enough to get results.

Sincerely,

David A. Alpert

Former Chairman, Westchester County Democratic Committee