The race for Westchester County’s 17th Legislative District is a rematch between two Democrats whose June primary was decided by just four votes. Wilson Terrero, backed by the Yonkers Democratic Party establishment, defeated Leslye Oquendo-Thomas, who ran without the party’s support, 946 to 942.
But Oquendo-Thomas did not give up. She remains on the November ballot as the Working Families Party candidate, setting up a second contest that will test the strength of the Yonkers Democratic Party in southwest Yonkers. There is no Republican candidate on the ballot.
Political friction surrounding the race surfaced in February when Oquendo-Thomas was fired from her position as legislative aide to Yonkers City Council Member Corazon Pineda-Isaac, shortly after circulating a flyer seeking volunteers for her campaign. Democratic Party Chair Thomas Meier acknowledged that Oquendo-Thomas was dismissed for political reasons. (See The Yonkers Ledger’s Feb. 18, 2026, article.) Terrero, also a city employee, kept his job. He has denied any role in the decision.
The election to replace retiring County Legislator José Alvarado is not only a face-off between a political insider and a political outsider, but it’s also a contest between candidates who have longstanding connections to the city’s Hispanic community.
Hispanics constitute Yonkers’ largest ethnic population group, representing approximately 45% of city residents. Their growing political importance provides the backdrop for a contest between Terrero, whose political relationships are rooted in the Dominican community and the regular Democratic organization, and Oquendo-Thomas, who has built her own independent network of supporters within the Hispanic community. She is of Puerto Rican descent.
Wilson Terrero
Wilson Terrero, a Dominican-born businessman and former Yonkers City Council Majority Leader, has been involved in local politics and community organizations for more than two decades. He is president of the Yonkers Dominican Cultural Association and has cultivated relationships within the city’s Dominican community and the Democratic Party.
Terrero served on the City Council beginning in 2010, but lost his reelection campaign to Corazon Pineda-Isaac in 2013 and lost to her again in 2017. He currently works as an aide to the City Council in the clerk’s office.
In addition to his political career, Terrero and his brother have a real estate business and own three small apartment buildings — two in Yonkers and one in the Bronx. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in counseling education from Mercy College, now Mercy University.
Terrero received the endorsement of the Yonkers Democratic Party, with support from Mayor Mike Spano, County Executive Ken Jenkins and other prominent elected officials.
Leslye Oquendo-Thomas
Leslye Oquendo-Thomas worked for Council Member Corazon Pineda-Isaac for 12 years. Before that, she was a caseworker for the United Nations in Africa and Latin America. She speaks three languages. She studied political science at SUNY Buffalo and received a master’s degree in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Oquendo-Thomas entered the race without the endorsement of the Yonkers Democratic Party, challenging the organization’s choice of Terrero. Her campaign attracted support from the Working Families Party and the Hispanic Democrats of Westchester, establishing a political network separate from the city’s regular Democratic leadership.
Follow the Money: Business Backs Terrero, Unions Oquendo-Thomas
The Yonkers Ledger · Follow the Money · Campaign 2026
County Legislature, District 17
Open seat (José Alvarado is leaving): Democrat Wilson Terrero vs. Working Families Party candidate Leslye Oquendo-Thomas
Money in and out, 2026 so far
Jan. 1 through Sept. 28, from every report each campaign has filed this year. The state matching program does not cover county races.
Where the donations came from
Same period. Individuals are grouped by how much each gave in total this year. Business includes law and accounting partnerships.
Terrero
| Individual donors | 158 |
| Typical gift per individual (median) | $150 |
| Most from any one individual | $1,850 |
| Money from individuals with Yonkers addresses | $28,234 (76%) |
Oquendo-Thomas
| Individual donors | 213 |
| Typical gift per individual (median) | $100 |
| Most from any one individual | $2,009 |
| Money from individuals with Yonkers addresses | $17,513 (44%) |
| Donations refunded | $450 |
*Terrero’s filings also list $1,200 in donations and $9,195.61 in spending dated 2006, probably typing errors for 2026. They are not counted here; if they are 2026, he raised $56,562 and spent $67,009.
Largest donors, by candidate
Wilson Terrero · Leslye Oquendo-Thomas (PDF, opens in a new tab)
Source: New York State Board of Elections campaign finance filings for 2026, through the 32-Day Pre-General reports filed Oct. 2, 2026. Colors show party: Democrats blue, Republicans red, Working Families Party green. Analysis by The Yonkers Ledger.
Terrero raised $55,362 through Sept. 28, compared with $48,196 for Oquendo-Thomas, a difference of $7,166. Unlike the races for the New York State Senate and Assembly, there are no public matching funds available for candidates seeking county offices.
There is a major difference in where the two candidates drew their support — Terrero got major backing from businesses.
Terrero received $12,979, or 23% of his contributions, from businesses and professional firms, compared with just $975, or 2%, for Oquendo-Thomas.
Four of Terrero’s five largest business contributors — M.S.Y. Group Inc., C.P.Y. Realty Group LLC, Garment Care Corp. and Delano Realty Group LLC — reported addresses at 88-92 Sedgwick Ave. in Yonkers, collectively contributing $6,020.
Oquendo-Thomas attracted contributions from 213 named individual donors, compared with Terrero’s 158. Her campaign reported $39,622 from individual donors, with a median contribution per person of $100, compared with Terrero’s $150.
The difference is not simply one of money. Oquendo-Thomas assembled a larger number of individual donors while raising less overall, indicating a fundraising base spread across more reported individual names.
She also received $4,000 from labor unions, more than three times the $1,200 contributed to Terrero by unions. Terrero’s individual contributions were more concentrated locally. Yonkers residents provided $28,234, or 76% of his individual contributions, compared with $17,513, or 44%, for Oquendo-Thomas.
How this was made
Editors used AI tools to collect and analyze campaign finance data and to build the charts. All editing decisions were made by human editors, who checked the results against the candidates’ filings with the State Board of Elections.
Sat., Oct. 24 — Last day to register to vote. Also the last day for the Board of Elections to receive a mail ballot application sent online or by mail.
Oct. 24 – Nov. 1: Early voting. Any registered voter can vote at any of the county’s 25 early voting sites. In Yonkers: Grinton I. Will Library, 1500 Central Park Ave.; Nodine Hill Community Center, 140 Fillmore St.; Riverfront Library, 1 Larkin Center. Hours: Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Mon., Wed., Fri. 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; Tue. & Thu. noon–8 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 2 — Last day to apply for a mail ballot in person at the Westchester County Board of Elections, 445 Hamilton Ave., 8th Floor, White Plains.
Tue., Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls open 6 a.m.–9 p.m. at your assigned polling place only. Mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 10, or dropped off at a polling place or the Board of Elections by 9 p.m.
Note: If you were issued a mail ballot, you can’t vote on a machine in person. You can still vote at the polls with an affidavit ballot.
Our Campaign 2026 series covers State Senate District 35, Assembly District 90 and County Legislature Districts 15 and 17. Here are the other races Yonkers voters will see. District races depend on your address; Vote411 shows your exact ballot.
- Governor and Lt. Governor: Kathy Hochul and Adrienne Adams (D, WF) vs. Bruce Blakeman and Todd Hood (R, C, Vote Affordable)
- Attorney General: Letitia James (D, WF) vs. Saritha Komatireddy (R, C)
- Comptroller: Thomas DiNapoli (D, WF) vs. Joseph Hernandez (R, C)
- Congress, 16th District: George Latimer (D) vs. Joseph Cinquemani (R)
- State Senate, 37th District (northeast Yonkers): Shelley Mayer (D, WF) vs. Thomas Fix Jr. (R)
- Assembly, 89th District (part of Yonkers): Gary Pretlow (D), unopposed
- Assembly, 92nd District (northwest Yonkers): MaryJane Shimsky (D, WF) vs. Bob Welch (R, C)
- County Legislature, 14th District: David Tubiolo (D) vs. Bebe Ahmed (R)
- County Legislature, 16th District: Shanae Williams (D) vs. Dan D’Amico (R, C)
- State Supreme Court, 9th Judicial District (vote for three): Maria Rosa (D, WF), George Fufidio (D, R), Alden Wolfe (D, C), Richard Fava Pastilha (R, C), John Ciampoli (R)
- Yonkers City Court Judge (10-year term): Alexandra Bisesi (D, C), unopposed
What the filings show
Terrero’s filings date $55,362 in donations and $57,813 in spending to 2026, against $48,196 and $37,369 for Oquendo-Thomas. Each had just over $10,000 left on Sept. 28. Businesses gave Terrero $12,979; four of his five largest business donors list the same Yonkers address. Oquendo-Thomas had more individual donors, 213 to 158, and $4,000 from unions.