Ruth Walter issued a press release on Thursday February 2nd, 2023 launching her campaign for the district 15 seat on the Westchester County Board of Legislators. Walter is a Westchester native who presently resides in Bronxville. For over a decade she has owned and operated, along with her husband, a small cheese shop in that village.
Walter first won election to this same office in 2019. During her term, she advanced a progressive agenda while focusing on the budget. She credits her investment analyst background and history as a small business owner as foundations of her fiscal responsibility.
Republican James (Jimmy) Nolan challenged Walter in 2021. Nolan was an aggressive campaigner in contrast to the more low-key Walter. A stark contrast was also seen between these two candidates in both experience and demeanor. Watch the video below of their debate hosted by the League of Women Voters:
Despite Walter’s criticism of it, Nolan’s ardent door-to-door campaigning in the midst of COVID, coupled with a strong showing from the right-wing Yonkers section of the district, sent Nolan to his first elected office. Come election day, Nolan won victory by almost 700 votes out of a total of around 11,000 ballots cast.
For round two, Ruth Walter urges voters to not simply return her to the board, but to return the focus back on the district.
“For the past year, our communities have been under-represented in their local representative. The County Board isn’t Albany and it isn’t Washington, D.C. We need someone who will focus on the everyday issues we face in Yonkers, Bronxville, Eastchester, Tuckahoe, and Mount Vernon, not whatever issue of the day garners the most attention.”
James Nolan secured a job at the Yonkers Department of Public Works immediately after election. The very flexible hours of this position has allowed Nolan to campaign not only for himself but also heavily for failed gubernatorial candidate, Lee Zeldin. So, this appears to be one angle of attack Walter will take to regain that office. Another advantage Walter may enjoy is that the composition of the 15th district is now more favorable to Democrats. The county underwent it’s ten-year redistricting process and produced a map that removes many of Nolan’s strongest voting precincts.
No other Democrat has announced to seek the nomination in June’s primary yet. Nolan’s Republican candidacy will almost surely go uncontested. So in November we will likely see a carbon-copy ballot as we did in 2021. But, at least two questions will determine the outcome of this race. Will Walter be able to change some voters’ perception of her as a stuffy elitist? And will Jimmy Nolan be able to win over a less MAGA-friendly district? While there will be a lot of noise in 2023 in larger races like Mayor of Yonkers, the Westchester BOL D15 race could be even more intense – and personal.
