The Westchester County Board of Legislators is set to appoint Symra Brandon to fill the vacancy left by Christopher Johnson.
Christopher Johnson Exits
Christopher Johnson submitted a letter of resignation on July 24th after allegations of housing fraud materialized into fact. During a primary campaign against Yonkers City Council member Shanae Williams, investigative news reports about Johnson purchasing a house outside of his legislative district were published. Furthermore, the affordable condo he purchased a decade earlier–and had been claiming as his primary residence–was being rented to his brother-in-law for $1,500/month.
Calls for investigation came both at the city and county-level. Yonkers Inspector General Liam McLaughlin investigated and issued his report just days after Williams bested Johnson in June’s primary election. The report found that Johnson had in fact improperly rented his North Broadway condo, breaking the terms of his mortgage. Westchester County had also set in motion an investigation regarding Johnson’s residency being unlawfully outside of his current district.
The Westchester County investigation was cut short by Johnson’s resignation. His last day in office was August 1st, 2023. With the seat representing the 16th legislative district now open, the BOL had the option to fill it by appointment.
Who is Symra Brandon?
Symra Brandon is a cornerstone of Yonkers politics. Elected to the City Council as its first black woman in 1991, she served six consecutive terms until being term-limited in 2003. Her encouragement to enter that first race came from her deep involvement in the Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus.
Then, she made history again as the first black woman Yonkers Democratic Party Chairperson. A position she held until current DPW Commissioner Tom Meier unseated her in 2016. She currently serves as the First Ward Leader.
Professionally, she is the Director of Community Affairs for NY Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, after retiring from Westchester County Department of Social Services. Symra Brandon is also Life Member of the NAACP.
Brandon also ran for this same County Legislators 16th district seat in 2017. Her opponent was none other than Christopher Johnson. She narrowly lost to him by only 30 votes.
There’s Still an Election
The appointment of Symra Brandon to the BOL is only temporary. The general election in November decides who holds this seat in the next term. The aforementioned Democrat Shanae Williams faces off against Republican newcomer Debbie Kozak in a newly-drawn 16th district. And while typically the winner takes their oath of office at the start of the next term in January, this cycle could be different. Per the rules, November’s winner could take office as soon as their victory is certified.
The appointee shall serve as County Legislator until an individual is certified by the Board of Elections to be County Legislator-elect for that legislative district as a result of the general election scheduled in November. Upon such certification, the County Legislator-elect shall take office and thereby shall replace the appointee, if any, for the remainder of the unexpired term.
If that winner is Williams, her Yonkers City Council seat becomes vacant for a few weeks and Mayor Mike Spano may opt for an appointment. In that case, it undoubtedly would be Williams’ current aide and uncontested candidate for that seat, Deana Robinson.
But, there’s still an election upcoming and the chess pieces on the the Board of Legislators seem to be ever-moving. In this case, up to three different people may occupy this legislative seat in the year 2023. But, this churn stands in the shadow of changes to the leadership offices to Chairperson, Majority Leader, and Majority Whip that also occurred in recent months.
* Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly noted a change in the office of Minority Leader. That change was to the Majority Whip.
