Excellent scoop by David McKay Wilson. Hardly anyone is paying attention to this: when the Westchester County Board of Legislators goes all-Democratic in January, it may lose the Open Meetings Law exemption that lets a party caucus meet in private. A majority that has talked through public business behind closed doors may have to do it in public. We’ll be watching what the county attorney says.
Unofficial results from Nov. 3 show the board’s only Republican, James Nolan of Yonkers, and Conservative Margaret Cunzio losing their seats. Nolan trails Democrat Kisha D. Skipper by 314 votes in the uncertified count. If that holds, the 17-member board will have no minority party for the first time in its 56 years. The Open Meetings Law lets political caucuses meet in private, and the board’s Democrats have used that to discuss issues before they come up for a vote. Wilson points to a 1978 Court of Appeals ruling in a case involving Orange County Publications and the City of Newburgh, which found the exemption no longer applied when every member of a public body came from one party. Board Chairman Vedat Gashi is waiting on an opinion from County Attorney John Nonna.
Read the full story: Westchester County Board of Legislators prepares for all-Democratic board, which may have to abandon private caucuses to discuss public issues, David McKay Wilson, Hudson Valley Digger, November 10, 2026.
Related: A seven-minute meeting, and a caucus you never saw (Cattaraugus County, February 2026), and our Open Meetings Law page.
