TWIW 16: April 13, 2026

In this episode:

• Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins honored the life and legacy of Former Congressman Eliot Engel, who passed away last week.
• Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi discussed key initiatives and updates from the Town of Mount Pleasant.
• Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins provided information on an upcoming event sponsored by the County Department of Health to provide free rabies vaccines for pets on Sunday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Stamen Animal Hospital, 61 Quaker Ridge Road in New Rochelle. 
• Westchester County Consumer Protection Director James Maisano joined to discuss ways to stay safe from scammers during tax season. 
• In recognition of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 12–18), we highlighted the critical role of emergency dispatchers across Westchester, including the teams at WCDES 60 Control, WCDPS and local dispatch centers. Westchester County Department of Emergency Services Commissioner Susan Spear and Westchester County Department of Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor discussed the vital work of telecommunicators and shared important guidance on how residents can safely and effectively call 9-1-1. 
• Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins shared information on the upcoming State of the County Address. 
• Highlights from the Westchester County Parks Department. 

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Transcript

Intro 0:06

Welcome to This Week in Westchester, the podcast, your weekly audio briefing from Westchester County government. Each week, County Executive Ken Jenkins breaks down the decisions, investments, and initiatives shaping life across Westchester. Clear information, real progress, one place to stay informed. Now, here's This Week in Westchester.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 0:29

Good afternoon. I'm Westchester County Executive. Today is Monday, April 13th, and this is This Week in Westchester, the briefing. We're going to start just with a bit of our sad news, and last week we learned of the passing of a really good friend, former Congressman Elliott Engel. Congressman Engel was a tireless public advocate and who devoted more than three decades to represent the people of New York. Throughout his career, Congressman Engel was a fierce advocate for his constituents, both in Westchester and the Bronx. He had a piece of rocklin at one time. He was a champion of human rights and a chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He shaped U.S. policy on the global stage where he never lost sight of the needs of the communities he represented here at home. His legacy is one of commitment, conviction, and service. He understood that public service and a public office is the opportunity to speak up, to stand firm, and deliver for the people who entrusted him with their voice. We certainly extend our deepest condolences to his family, his wife Pat, all of his friends, and all of those that work with him and had the privilege of working alongside of him. We have two that work with us here in Westchester County. One was his chief of staff with Bill White, and certainly Tyrae Woodson Samuels, our legislator, started his political work working for Congressman Engel, and certainly his impact is going to be felt for generations to come. Again, we want to offer our condolences to him and all the family members of Congressman Elliott Engel. We have for the county until Wednesday our flags at Half Staff in recognition of the service that Congressman Engel gave to the people of Westchester. We're going to then switch gears and talk to some things here in Mount Pleasant with a really good friend of ours. The town of Mount Pleasant hosts so many things for the county, specifically the Grassland campus. So there's so many things there. Touching a little bit of the side of our emergency operations center and so many other things. And that is our friend, the supervisor of the town of Mount Pleasant, Carl Fulgenzi. Call's going to give us all the things that are happening in Mount Pleasant and let us know what things are looking forward ahead in the various towns of Mount Pleasant. At this time, call for Jenzi.

SPEAKER_02 2:49

Thank you all. Thank you for the opportunity of being able to speak to you and the residents of Westchester County. As Mount Pleasant Supervisor and Chair of the Mount Pleasant IDA and LDC, I often find myself looking back at our history to understand where we are headed. Our town was established in 1788, a heritage we proudly honored during our bicentennial in 1988. I was fortunate enough to be on that committee, and today that same pride drives our vision for the future. Mount Pleasant is the heart of Westchester County. We are defined by our landscape, over 32 square miles of rolling hills, open parks, and vast waters of Kensico Reservoir. We are also defined by our growth. Today we are a community of 45,000 residents and nearly 14,000 properties. Supported by an infrastructure that maintains over 120 lane miles of roadways, we have all the parkways, the rail system, and the bus system that transfers through town of Mount Pleasant. What makes Mount Pleasant unique is our balance. We are a hub for global innovation, home to industry giants like PepsiCo, Fuji Corporation, Regeneron, and now the Amazon Corporation. We are an educational powerhouse hosting eight school districts in our town. The expanded Peace University campus, New York Medical College, and the Toro Dental Center, which was the newest one in over 50 years, came into town. We are also a town of neighborhoods. From the unincorporated hamlets of Hawthorne, Valhalla, Thornwood, and Bochanical Hills to the vibrant villages of Pleasantville, Sleepy Hall, and Briarcliff Manor. We are a diverse and connected community. Currently, we are focused on two transformative goals. First, we are bringing tax exempt land back on the tax rolls. The former Legionnaires of Christ property is now home to the F Academy as an international boarding school. And a premier Toll Brothers residential development providing 55 plus senior housing with no impact on our school districts. The demand for additional residential homes and rents and rentals will always be a topic of concern that will be ongoing. Because of the fact that we still have vacant land, some areas do not have vacant land. Mount Pleasant still has a considerable amount of vacant land that eventually will have development. Secondly, we are revitalizing our downtowns in Hawthorne, Fallon, and Valhalla. We are investing in safety, walkability, and aesthetics, upgrading sidewalks, lighting, parking, and greenery to ensure our hamlets are as functional as they are beautiful. Looking ahead to the proposed North AD development one day on the West County site promises to cement our status as a leader in biotech research and development. At the IDA and LDC, our commission is our mission is simple to promote the business enhancements that sustain our community while honoring the history and character that built it. Mount Pleasant has a long and storied past, but I've never been more enthusiastic about our future. I thank you to West County, Ken Jenkins, and your staff as a partner in our future. Thank you. Thanks, Ken.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 6:37

That's our town supervisor, the town of Mount Pleasant, um call for Gen Z. Um, Supervisor for Gen Z, as he pointed out, 45,000 um residents in in the town, um, a couple of unincorporated hamlets and the continued work. And again, the partnership for us as the heart of the county, right, that in the middle of the county, and certainly um all of the great things that happened, whether it's Regeneron to the newest person with um Amazon and many other things, and having the balance between both of those things and also touching some of the great um work that they have and continue to do as far as um the Grassland campus is concerned, and looking forward to that North 80 and continue work with the town. You know, they um they identified some housing units that could be done um at the site in come um conjunction with the things that are happening there um, you know, with with uh not just New York Medical College and certainly Toro and all those other great folks that are that are out there. So again, a nice well-rounded opportunity, and again, it's always fun going up um to the town of Mount Pleasant where they have um their their center, and we are always there for Boy Scout things for whatever the scouts um doing Eagle Scout um um opportunities and been with the supervisor, the other town board members and um the the uh county legislator that represents that area, Margaret Kunzio. So again, it's always great um to be there, call. Thank you so much for being here, Supervisor Fensi. Um we're doing yeah, we're gonna flip and continue talking about some things that are happening in Westchester County. Um, the County Department of Health is going to be sponsoring a free vaccine, rabies vaccine clinic for pets, Sunday, April 19th. So mark that on your calendars from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Statement Animal Hospital, which is in New Rochelle. Um, vaccines are gonna be given on a first-come, first-served basis. Um, and this is really important for the folks that have their pets as the spring warms up. People and their pets spend more time outdoors, and that brings increased chances of contact with feral cats or other animals that might contain rabies. To protect yourself and your family, verify your pet's rabies status and vaccinations are up to date, and arrange for a free booster shot if needed. New York State law requires first rabies shots for dogs and cats by four months of age, and a second shot within the one year of their first and boosters every one to three years, depending on that vaccine. Owners who fail to comply can face fines up to$2,000. And you know rabies is a fatal disease that spreads from um a bite or saliva from an infected animal. To learn more about those opportunities with a rabies and prevention, visit the health department's website at westchestergov.com slash health, like us on Facebook, or check out um the WC Health Department or follow us on Twitter for the Health Department. Those folks on um the health department are out there on social media, make sure that you be able to catch up with them. At this time, two days before the tax filing deadline, we are pleased as punched to have the Westchester County Um Protection Consumer Protection Director Jim Mezano here with us um to talk a little bit more about the things that are happening around Tax Day. Um, because it's not just paperwork and deadlines we need to think about is protecting ourselves from increasingly sophisticated scams. With that, the executive director, all good for me, the county executive.

SPEAKER_04 10:05

So I'm here to talk about tax scams. Um The IRS recently dropped their dirty dozen of tax scams, and I have to tell you, when you read it, it's scary. It's literally scary because it's getting more dangerous every year. Um so I'm gonna pick out three of those and just mention them because they seem to be the most egregious. Number one is AI-powered scams, robocalls in particular. Uh or they also have smishing text. They call the word smishing. What they do is they impersonate IRS agents and they say you owe money, uh, and if you don't pay the money, you'll immediately be arrested, put into jail, things like that. Um the problem is it sounds real. And people panic and they end up paying. And so it's this goes back to the golden rule of scams, right? And that is with most government agencies, they never call you to demand money. This is like all levels of government. So, in particular the IRS, if someone calls you and says you owe money and if you don't pay, you're gonna get arrested, that's immediately it's a scam. And you hang up the phone. So uh the problem is now they're doing with AI so they can fake the voices. It's a deep fake and it's a fraud. Number two, tax hacks on social media have become a huge problem. You have these influencers who put themselves out there as tax experts telling people wrong things to do. And it's become very active, particularly this year, the IRS points out. Um, for instance, they tell you you can claim your pet or your child or your car as a hidden tax credit. All untrue. None of it's true. And then you can actually go on and look if you look on TikTok or Instagram, they're saying this stuff, and it's not true. The problem is, puts your, if you do what they say, these influencers, um, you're on a fast track to getting audited and possible criminal penalties. So this is nothing to play around with. Don't get your advice when you do your taxes from social media. That is the advice I'd like to share with you. Um, number three, ghost preparers. Ghost preparers are people who hold themselves as tax experts, they're not even accountants, and they say that they will help you with your return. Of course, they won't sign it because they're not accountants. They tell you, they give you advice like um inflate your return so you can get more money. Um, but the bottom line is they they're not accountants, but they're going around saying they can help you with your taxes, but they have no responsibility whatsoever when you screw up. They're not an accountant, and you're on the hook. So when you file this faulty return based on these ghost preparers who, of course, like accountants, accountants sign the return that they work on, they don't do that. Then you can end up, again, with penalties and audits and things like that. So if you're gonna hire someone to do your taxes, hire an accountant, not some clown walking around saying that they're an expert on taxes. Um couple of the quick things. The IRS is now pushing direct deposit. They no longer want to do paper checks. They're phasing out direct deposit. The IRS is saying right now that um they're since they're phasing out paper checks, uh, when you follow your return, make sure you have the proper bank info on your return, because if you don't, it could uh delay your return uh and the money you might get back for up to 10 weeks. So when you do your tax return, make sure you have proper bank info for direct deposit. Again, I'm gonna say it again because it's so important to the people at home. The IRS will never DM you. They will never text you, they'll never send you an email. These things don't happen. All right? They they still use the post office to contact you. So if you get a text, an email, a robocall from the IRS, it's a fraud 100% of the time. Don't fall for it. Folks, be safe. It's tax season. Don't get caught up in a scam that's gonna steal your money or ruin your credit. Thank you, Mr. County Executive.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 13:52

Thank you, Jim. That that was Jim Mezzano, um, the our executive director from the um Consumer Protection and giving us some good hints like don't do that. All right, but more importantly, if we're just paying attention. Um if you go on the Consumer Um Protection website, you certainly could follow up and on any of those opportunities. Certainly, we're gonna have a public safety up with us in a few moments, um, to make sure that if those things happen, he said the best thing, hang up the phone. And if someone continues to do that, email, et cetera, make sure that you contact local law enforcement um to continue to help you out. And there are just so many people that unfortunately have gotten taken by these scams and and again have lost money, et cetera, et cetera. So again, um pay attention again during this tax time. Um, we certainly have the volunteers that are legitimate folks that do do tax preparation for our seniors and the senior programs and services, and and those operate under a heading at the library to make sure that you are taking advantage of that if you are qualified for that. But once again, your best bet is to make sure that if you hear someone calls you, um, just hang up the phone because that is just not what the IRS does. So thanks a lot for all of that. Um at this time we're going to talk about National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, and we are going to have um two experts in telecommunications on uh public safety come up with us at this point in time. First, we're going to have um your Commissioner Susan Speer as well as Commissioner Terence Raynor from Department of Public Safety, Emergency Services Commissioner Susan Speer, and um our Public Safety Commissioner Terence Raynor. We're going to start with um Commissioner from Emergency Services just because E starts before P. Um, Commissioner Susan Speer is going to come up with us. Commissioner Whatever members of your channel.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

Yes, please. Thank you so much, um, County Executive Jenkins. Um, we so appreciate your support for the Department of Emergency Services. And I also want to thank you so much for that beautiful and fitting tribute to Congressman Engel, who was um a good friend to Westchester County for a long, long time. So um, we appreciate you recognizing the importance of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and the vital work of our emergency communications professionals who answer 911 calls and dispatch responders. I'm really glad to be here today with my fellow Commissioner Rayner, um, Chief Luciano, and our partners in public safety. I also want to thank uh for joining me today our uh uh Deputy Commissioner, Mike Volk, um, our emergency communications director, Samel Astarita, and Lieutenant Allie Barlow. They're the people who do the real work every day. Um they have been instrumental in building our emergency communications center and are essential to its day-to-day operations. Communications are the first critical step in every successful emergency response. Whether it's a common professional voice answering the phone and providing instructions until more help arrives, dispatching the closest ambulance or appropriate fire apparatus, managing large mutual aid incidents or all of the above, these professionals are truly our first, first responders. Our gratitude also includes those who work behind the scenes every day, supporting the emergency communications center, staffing, education, training, quality assurance, equipment, and the all-important technology. Every second counts in responding to an emergency. And it starts with a voice. Before the sirens, before the lights, before anyone arri anyone arrives at the scene, there is a connection. The calming voice amidst the chaos. Helping a collar clear an airway of someone who's choking, guiding someone how to stop a bleeding person, or even delivering a baby. Although you may not see them at the scene, that voice is the transition from a crisis to the assurance that help is on the way. It is not an easy job. It comes with long work hours in a high stress environment, helping people through their worst moments. It comes from a desire to help others in their time of need. Sixty Control dispatches 52 of Westchester's 58 fire departments and 28 of the 45 EMS agencies. They coordinate mutual aid responses for all the fire departments and EMS agencies throughout Westchester and beyond. In 2025, Sixty Control received well over 227,000 calls, and that does not include all the calls to the local answering stations and the law enforcement 911 as well. And maybe even more impressive is that many of our dispatchers also serve with their local fire departments and EMS agencies. In total, our dispatchers have a combined 700 years of emergency service experience. We also want to take the opportunity that this week presents us to enhance public awareness of what to expect when you need to dial 911. One, do your best to provide information about your location and the nature of the emergency. More information helps the dispatchers with being able to send the appropriate response right from the start. Two, remain on the line with the dispatcher until instructed to hang up. This is in case the dispatcher needs additional information or can provide instructions to you to render assistance until help arrives. Three, please properly secure your mobile device to prevent any accidental 911 calls. And finally, teach your children how and when to dial 911 and how to say their name and their address. Maintaining operations 24-7, 365, no matter what the weather, andor operational challenges is a tremendous accomplishment. The ECC staff makes a difference in people's lives all day, every day. We thank and congratulate each and every one of them. And particularly this week, we offer them this well-deserved recognition and appreciation. Thank you.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 20:41

And that was um our commissioner of emergency services, Susan Speer, um, letting us know about the work that gets done from emergency services. And a lot of times people don't recognize that when they pick up the phone, they're not talking to someone locally. They're usually talking to 60 control, except for um certain specific communities for emergency services for EMS and fire specifically, though. Um and public safety will come up in just a minute. But again, um we want to always thank them for all the work that they do, and you never know whether it's those kind of emergencies that people expect to think they're talking to emergency services, or things like there's a power outage or something happens in a nursing home, and guess what? We have to evacuate a full nursing home and get those folks out so that they're safe and secure, um, which was the work that they did as as well. And as we hear so many times, it's those calming voices that we're gonna hear some more of in just a moment from public safety, um, that those folks in the 60 control world make sure that things are safe and secure, and that's a good reason that they're all smiling because they work so hard every day behind the scenes, and whether it's a snowstorm or a blizzard, they're working and making sure that everyone is getting taken care of. With that, let me turn over to Commissioner Terrence Raynor and Chief Luciano.

SPEAKER_03 22:04

Good afternoon. I'm honored to join uh the county executive and recognizing the outstanding work that is performed by the men and women of the communications unit at the Department of Public Safety. I'm joined here today with by um Chief of Department, James Luciano, and together we appreciate all of our telecommunications personnel as well as our uh colleagues over at the Department of Environment, of Emergency Services. Sorry, Susan. Our communications professionals are truly a lifeline, not only to members of the public, but in times of crisis, they're available to our police officers in the field. When an officer is in danger or requires additional assistance at the scene of an incident or a volatile situation, communications professionals ensure that help is on the way. In 2025 alone, our communications unit handled more than 107,000 calls from members of the public, including more than 19,000 emergency 911 calls. So I dare say the work they do is challenging. It's stressful and it's vital to keeping the public safe. The public can see and hear when police fire and EMS personnel are responding to emergencies. They don't see the people lending support behind the scenes. The voices on the radio who ensure the right resources are dispatched at the right time. The public doesn't get to see the professionalism, the skill and grace under pressure that our communications personnel demonstrate every single day. What the public sees is the result of all the coordination which takes place behind the scenes. As we mark National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the emergency communications specialists at the Department of Public Safety. I'm grateful for everything they do to keep the public safe and to keep our police officers safe. I remain grateful to our colleagues and our partners over at 60 Control within the Department of Emergency Services. Together, our agencies maintain seamless communication, which ensures the right police, fire, and EMS resources are deployed when incidents require a coordinated response. Thanks again to our county executive and to my colleagues over at the Department of Emergency Services. And uh recognizing our communications specialists this week, we honor those who look out for us from behind the scenes. So thank you, Mr. County Executive. Appreciate you.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 25:34

And that was Commissioner Terrence Raynor and um Chief of the Department, James uh Luciano being able to let us know about the critical role of telecommunications um folks play um in understanding for all the things that happen, whether it's emergency services or in the um public safety, and most people think of it fire, emergency, um EMS and in police. That's the way we're thinking about it. But the reality is it's more than that. And those reassuring voices on the phone is so important to all of us, and that's why recognizing National Public Safety Telecommunications Week is so really critically important for us to continue to do because a lot of times their work goes unnoticed unless something doesn't happen, right? So the work that they do every day and getting those things out and communicating and speaking with everyone is so critically important, and we want to say thank you and congratulations and happy um National Telecommunic Public Safety Telecommunications Week. But continue to recognize that the voice behind the phone um is the one that's helping to make those things happen, getting the right resources, the right people, and pulling everything together. So we want to say thank you to them once again. Well this week, um April 12th through April 18th, um, to make sure that we're taking this moment to recognize it, the voices behind the scenes, those emergency dispatches that are always, almost always the first point of contact in a crisis. So thank you. We have coming up on May 6th, I'll be delivering uh my 2026 State of the County address um here on the eighth floor with the Westchester County Board of Legislators. Legislator Erica Pierce is here with us, um, making sure she's recognizing and celebrating on behalf of the Board of Legislators, um, National Public Safety Um Telecommunications Week as well. Um, but we'll be down in the County Board of Legislators presenting the 2026 State of the County address, and it's going to begin promptly at 6 30. Um doors are gonna open at 6. You'll be able to tune in right here online um or on the county's um Facebook page. So again, whether you go to the county's webpage where you can just see um these the videos that we are doing right on live, or you can go to Facebook um to see it as well. And we're looking forward to talking about everything that's going on, looking forward to 2026. We have the nationally accredited and award-winning park system um that we have three or four events that we just want to spotlight. We're gonna continue to remind people um that that you can always download the parks app to be able to have the official parks app, and it has everything in it. Um, but for a couple of um highlights that we have um on April 18th this Saturday um from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., we're gonna have an invasive plant series um and how you can help um preserve and help get rid of those in local invasive plants and what does it mean to pitch in for parks, and that'll be coming up soon. That's gonna be free. Um at the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye from 1 p.m. to 2 30 p.m. on Saturday, the 18th, we're gonna have campfire building and s'moors. There's nothing better than campfires and s'moors. Um, and the emergency services personnel make sure that you take care of all those things. But it's in Rye, so the city of Rye is making sure that everything, the s'moors will be there. Um, mush up those uh marshmallows and some some chocolate around it, and we'll be having some s'moors. Um that's gonna be from 1 to 2.30 at Marshlands um conservancy. Um on Sunday, we're gonna have the 19th from 1 to 2 p.m. the highlight garden highlight tour up at Lasden. Um Lasden Public Gardens and Veterans Memorial up in Katona. Um that would be legislator, uh that is definitely Legislator Erica Pierce. She has almost all those really big parks up there, and that's gonna be from one to two for the highlight tour of Lasden Public Gardens. Um, and you are missing out on a great treat if you have that opportunity to get up there for that Katoda um gardens highlight tour. On the 19th, from one to three, um at the same time at Hilltop Hanover Farm, um an environmental center in your town. Um that's right at the edge of both of a few people, including the chairman, legislator uh Vidagashi, and Erica always loves to come by as well because she has a piece of that park um as well for Hilltop Hanover. It's going to be learning those natural dyes and creating um that process. That one has an$8 cost to it, um, but it'll be a great opportunity to get to see Hilltop Hanover Farm in the Environmental Center in Yorktown Heights. And that's this week in Westchester. It's been a really busy and meaningful week here in Westchester. Certainly, we started with remembering um the life and legacy of our former friend and congressman um Elliot Engle. Um, there's a really old picture of him and I in uh in DC when I had a lot more hair and I was a lot thinner. But you know, we won't talk about that. But again, Elliot Engel's been a friend to so many of us for such a long time, and his dedicated um service as a public official um for decades uh is going to leave that lasting impression, not just on Westchester, the Bronx, but beyond in the world, especially as um his chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee. We were joined by a good friend, a friend um the from the town of Mount Pleasant, Carl Fulgenzi, uh, who says some updates on the great work happening in the town of Mount Pleasant and the continued collaboration between Westchester and Mount Pleasant that continues on and we're gonna keep that work going. As spring gets underway, we reminded residents to keep their pets safe and healthy with an upcoming free rabies vaccination clinic. And with Tax Day just two days away, right around the corner, we welcomed our consumer protection director, um, Jim Mezzano, to walk us through the latest scams and say, don't do it, don't answer the phone. Right? On anybody that says they're from the IRS, they do not make phone calls. It does not work that way. Um, and in recognition of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, we had the opportunity to hear from Commissioner Raynaud, Commissioner Speer, as they highlight the incredible, incredible work of our emergency dispatchers, the calm, steady voices behind each and every 911 call. Um, and we are certainly grateful to their teams for being here, but also more importantly, the work they do each and every day. Um, looking ahead, we're gearing up for the 2026 State of the County address on May 6th, and there's no shortage of great parks programming this weekend. Um, from hands-on environmental events to family uh family-friendly outdoor fun. Um I'm happy to be back from Brazil. Um had a great time, and we were able to be here and be safe and sound back here in Westchester County. Looking forward to working with each and every one of you. Um make sure you get a chance to take a look and download um to for um for the parks department app. Um, but more importantly, don't call 911. Figure out the ways when you see those folks on the non emergency number to say thank you. You can send them an email. That works too. Um, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, thank you so much for watching. Have a wonderful week.