George Latimer

John Diaconis on…Togetherness, Reaching Out & Preserving History at the Miller House

April 2, 2021 by Christine Pasqueralle

When one thinks back on the past year, a few words stick out: family, friends, love and togetherness. These are the important things in life that have really come to the forefront in 2020 and beyond. Life as we know it has changed in many ways and people are learning how to live in this “new normal.”

Armonk resident John Diaconis is one of those people.

A partner at White Plains law firm Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP, he is also a former New Castle Town Board member. Diaconis is now President of Friends of Miller House/Washington’s Headquarters, having been a longtime advocate for the North White Plains historical site.

Diaconis moved to Chappaqua in 1990, when he says, the area was semi-rural and very quiet. He relocated to Armonk ten years ago, where he now lives with his wife Ann Dantzig and her 91-year-old mother, Janice Rabinowitz, whom he says “has more energy than all of us.”

Diaconis served on the New Castle Town Board for five years and was the Town Prosecutor until moving to Armonk in 2010. He credits his time on the board with his eventual involvement with Miller House.

“I moved to Armonk in 2010 and the first thing I became involved with was Miller House,” says Diaconis. He was asked to participate by Dorrie Watson, a founder of the North Castle Historical Society and town historian, whom he says was a legend in North Castle. The first order of business was to help work on getting the house refurbished and renovated, as it had been neglected for a number of years.

“Credit goes to George Latimer: he spearheaded the renovation,” says Diaconis. The Miller House hopes to be back open to the public in the near future, but for now they will offer virtual programs.

As the world began to shut down last March, working from home became the norm for many, including Diaconis. As he says, no one was pressured to go into the office and that it is fortunate that most of the work he does can be done from home. Now, the firm is back up and running at 100% with all safety features, such as protective glass in place. Diaconis works in the office as much as he can now, but employees still have the option to stay home when what they are doing does not require them to be in the office. In many ways, it seems the work-life balance has greatly shifted for everyone over the past year.

Appreciating One Another

Diaconis definitely understands the vast importance of family, especially at this time in the world. Unfortunately like most of us, he has also experienced loss. Diaconis’ son Ari passed away three years ago at the age of 33. While he was sick, he spoke a lot about the importance of relationships. As Diaconis says, “He was a really smart kid. My family and I are very attuned to appreciate one another and our friendships. If anything, the social distancing and stay-at-home parts of the virus have reinforced the importance of connection with people.” Ari and his sister Alix both attended school in Chappaqua. After graduating from Horace Greeley High School, Alix is now living in Brooklyn and working as a video editor. Ari went on to graduate from Cornell Law School and practiced law in New York City.

Diaconis also has two step-daughters. Natasha graduated from Byram Hills High School while Lexi graduated from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry. Lexi lives in Providence and Natasha in San Francisco. The family does a lot of Zoom calls and speaks regularly on the phone. Alix comes up to visit after quarantining and Diaconis visits her in Brooklyn as well.

Everything that’s been happening this last year has made them all closer. The community has definitely come together during this time as well. Diaconis says, “Armonk is an interesting town: everyone is pulling together.” North Castle Town Supervisor Michael Schiliro always starts each board meeting with “Dorrie TIME”. These are good deeds that people in the local community have done inspired by Dorrie Watson. “A lot of people are involved in community efforts to help homeless people,” says Diaconis.

Community Involvement

Local churches are doing outreach and are doing what they can to provide shelter as well as community members volunteering with food distribution and at soup kitchens. There is also a large effort to preserve local history: many in the community are actively involved with helping to fund the library and historical society.

Diaconis really enjoys the sense of community Armonk provides as well as many of the local spots in town–La Mer Seafood, David Chen and DeCicco & Sons included. He spends a lot of time downtown, as it is so walkable and vibrant. As for his role in public service, it all comes down to one thing. “My mentor was Marion Sinek, former New Castle Town Supervisor. People are in public service to try and do good things for people. I try to follow that motto now, as do others in public service.”

Opening Soon: The Landmark Miller House

Situated on a stretch of Virginia Road in North White Plains sits the Elijah J. Miller House. Once almost lost to disrepair, the historic home has undergone an extensive renovation thanks in part to Westchester County and Friends of Miller House/Washington’s Headquarters. The site was the home of Elijah and Ann Miller and it is where George Washington once stayed during the American Revolution. Unfortunately, it had spent more than 20 years with sustained structural damage and visitation was not allowed.

In 2019, County Executive George Latimer led efforts to renovate the house so that visitors could once again come and learn about its historical significance. John Diaconis, President of Friends of Miller House says, “Credit goes to George Latimer, he spearheaded the renovation.” And Kathy O’Connor, Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation goes on to say, “We were thrilled that the restoration of the Miller House was a priority for the Latimer administration. We look forward to the day when we can begin programming again to educate children about this important landmark and history of their County.”

John Diaconis, outside the Miller House with Philip Sieverding, a Greeley grad who is on the historic house’s board of directors.
Photo by Grace Bennett/Inside Press

Storied History

Originally situated on a 100-acre farm, the house is an 18th Century Rhode Island-style farmhouse, built in 1738 with an addition built in 1770. Miller House served as General Washington’s sleeping quarters and command post during the 1776 Battle of White Plains. Shortly before the battle, Elijah, along with his two sons, John and Elijah, Jr. were killed.

Ann then turned the house into a field hospital, and many soldiers were tended to by her and others in the house and on the grounds. Eventually Charles Lee, Washington’s second-in-command was court-marshaled and the last phase of his trial was held at Miller House. In 1976, Miller House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a Local Historic Landmark by the Town of North Castle.

Diaconis is looking forward to the day Miller House can re-open its doors to the public. “We would love to get school trips up and running again, it’s an important part of what we plan to do–to get things back to where they were.”

He has received emails from people all around the Northeast saying how they used to go to Miller House on field trips and that it was a highlight of their elementary school experience.

Millennial Interest

The Friends of Miller House board includes some millennials, whom the group hopes to connect with younger kids to help expose them to the important local history right here in Westchester County. “Anyone can join the Friends; we always want input from people with suggestions about programs they’d like to see and more. We want to hear from the public.”

For now, Miller House is planning a variety of virtual events including its George Talk book club series, which will feature a book written about Charles Lee. As Diaconis says, “We are grateful for County Executive Latimer’s leadership in preserving this historic landmark. John Nonna, Sharon Tomback and many others also worked countless hours to save the house,” which incidentally also included the saving of a 300-year-old sycamore tree.

Latimer says, “While we may not be able to gather at the Miller House in person, the meaning behind the historic home should never be forgotten. This building tells us the story of the American Spirit.” And we will all look forward to the day when we can once again take in its vast history on its grounds and inside its walls.

Plans for County’s March 3 Covid Commemoration: “One Year Later”

March 2, 2021 by Inside Press

In the lobby of the Michaelian Office Building where the County’s “Ribbons of Remembrance” memorial now stands, County Executive George Latimer will host a commemoration of the County’s first confirmed COVID-19 case. To date, Westchester County has lost over 2,000 lives to the virus. The commemoration will take place on Wednesday, March 3 beginning at 11 a.m. To watch live, tune into www.facebook.com/WestchesterGov.

Latimer said: “What today is about is remembering those we have lost not as merely an integer or statistic, but as human beings and the valued members of our community that they were. While in this last year we have rallied together in so many ways,, it is imperative we also take time to grieve and heal together.”

The solemn event will begin at 11a.m. with an interfaith prayer service lead be Father Luke Hoyt from Holy Innocents Catholic Church, Rabbi Annie Tucker from Temple Israel Center and Imam Shaffieq Chace from Islamic Center of New Rochelle.

Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins said: “Westchester residents are strong, resilient and also compassionate people. One year later, we commemorate those we have lost and honor those who worked so hard to keep us safe.”

Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said: “One year ago, all of our lives changed forever. I am proud of the work of my department, and health care workers county-wide, as we faced this crisis of unprecedented proportions.”

The prayers will be followed by remarks from Latimer and other invited guests, poems read by the County’s Poet Laureate B.K. Fischer and the County’s Youth Poet Laureate Danielle Kohn and a musical interlude from a string quartet made up of students and faculty from White Plains High School.

Following the program at 12p.m., Latimer will lead the County in a moment of silence remembering those we have lost.

This commemoration will continue again later in the evening when Latimer will lead a County-wide applause for health care workers in recognition of the life-saving, stress-filled work they have done during these tumultuous times.

On Wednesday, March 3, Latimer will also direct flags at all County facilities to be flown at half-staff in honor of the over 2,000 Westchester residents who have died from COVID-19.

News courtesy of the Office of the Westchester County Executive

Westchester County Seeks Nominations for First WOW Awards

February 17, 2021 by Inside Press

Committee Wants to Honor Extraordinary Women in the County

Celebrating the power, strength and independence of Westchester County women, members of County Executive George Latimer’s team formed a committee to pay tribute to local women and honor them for their contributions during the pandemic.

This year’s #WOWConversations makes a triumphant return, after being cancelled last year due to COVID-19. The discussion will now be held virtually, and the committee putting together the empowerment event is also seeking nominations for its first WOW Awards.

Watch this short video for information on how to nominate someone.

County Executive George Latimer said: “Women have had to overcome obstacles in order to really seize the opportunity that’s not always available to them. WOW conversations allows for women to exchange ideas and stories, and talk about shared experiences.”

Committee member Robi Schlaff, Director of the Westchester County Office for Women said: “When I think of the unbelievable contributions women in Westchester have made to the County in so many different fields from academics to education and philanthropy, I think this year, what we really wanted to do is celebrate that.”

The committee is seeking nominations in the following categories:

*Healing Hands: Highlighting health and wellness

*The Next Generation: Spotlighting women working with children in education or childcare

*Women Supporting Women: Showcasing a local woman who continues to lift others

*Community Response: Identifying women helping the community with basic needs like

housing or food.

*Keeping the Faith: For women who have provided spiritual guidance

*Business: Featuring an outstanding businesswoman or entrepreneur

Shari Rosen Ascher, the County’s Director of Policy and Programs for Small Business and Chambers of Commerce said: “We want women to feel comfortable to speak up and speak out. Our committee was dedicated to coming up with creative ways to bring women together in a way to make them feel comfortable and included so we can continue to rise.”

Crystal Collins, the County’s Director of Faith Based Initiatives and Urban Affairs says winners will be recognized during the #WOWConversations virtual event which will bring together women of all backgrounds to discuss topics like leadership and business.

“With women taking on so many different positions and roles in the community, workplace and home,” Collins said, “…and when this crisis happened, we want to highlight what showed your strength?”

The nomination process is open now until February 28. Click this link to nominate someone.

Those nominating an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things are asked to submit a photo and short essay. The committee will later decide who the winners are and reveal them at the online event March 25.

“Celebrating women who have done so much in the County is such a positive thing in a year where we have evolved so much,” said Martha Lopez, the County’s Director of Minority Women’s Business Program and Immigrant Affairs, “I think it’s important that we celebrate these women who have stepped up to the plate.”

News Courtesy of the office of the Westchester County Executive

Heart to Heart with County Executive George Latimer

August 24, 2020 by Jennifer Sabin Poux

Successes to Applaud… but also: ‘What Keeps Him Up at Night’

Latimer at one of his many summer press briefings which have been both livestreamed on Facebook and available for viewing on YouTube. Visit WestchesterGov.com to keep up with County updates and initiatives.

There’s something reassuring about talking to George Latimer. When we spoke on the phone in late July, the Westchester County Executive’s responses to my questions about Covid-19 were intelligent and thoughtful, qualities that the federal response has been sorely lacking.

Latimer doesn’t wear rose-colored glasses, but he is encouraged by the county’s response to date. “You hate to use that phrase cautiously optimistic, but we are in fact cautiously optimistic because the basic sense we have is that we’re doing ok with the strategies we’re using.”

Those strategies were tested in June with the Chappaqua outbreak during high school graduation season. The Westchester County Executive says Chappaqua was a cautionary tale, but overall, the system worked. “We’re not cocky about it, but the Chappaqua situation appeared to be handled well and while there were bumps along the road, nobody died, nobody was hospitalized, and we did not have an outbreak that reached triple digits.”

The rallies and marches following the murder of George Floyd were also a success story–over 30 of them in the county–all peaceful. And Latimer says most people wore masks at those events. The upshot? “We saw no spike that we could trace back to the rallies.”

Latimer finds hope in statistics as the county’s positive Covid-19 numbers flatten out, and in the behavior of his constituents. “I know mask wearing is not universal, but it’s more the norm than not. And I know that social distancing depends on the group and the circumstances, but we’re seeing better implementation of that.”

What keeps the man who oversees a county of close to one million residents up at night? Knowing that we can’t conquer the virus until we have a vaccine and anti-viral treatments. Until then, it’s going to be a challenge.

“We’re managing it as best as you can, but it can morph out of control at the snap of our fingers.”

George Latimer with Westchester County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD Photo by Grace Bennett/Inside Press

Failure from the Top

And he has little faith in the White House, which he says never took control of the pandemic.

Latimer says there are thousands of things President Trump could have done but didn’t. He says sure, he’s a Democrat and the president is Republican, so there will be differences in approaches. But he says it’s a matter of practical government.

He points out that the governors of Vermont, Massachusetts and Maryland–all Republicans–have done the right thing. But he says now, because President Trump didn’t lay out a comprehensive national plan, “we’re fighting a rearguard action, each state doing their own thing, and we’re trying to do our best. We’re trying to put this thing in our rearview mirror.”

That’s going to be difficult as long as some states are doing as poorly as they have been this summer, Latimer is concerned about how the divide in attitudes in the U.S., a divide that is often along political lines, is impacting the country, and could send Westchester moving in the wrong direction.

“You know that there’s a certain mindset in parts of the country that says, I’m not wearing a mask. I don’t want to do it, it’s restrictive, I don’t believe in it philosophically.” He adds, “When you start listening to that kind of rhetoric, I do get concerned because it flies in the face of our experience.”

School Concerns

And then of course, there are the concerns about school. As of this interview, the county’s schools were beginning to unveil their plans for the fall, but as every parent knows, it’s a frustratingly fluid situation and nothing is certain. Although the decision on whether schools can open rests with Governor Cuomo, the county is helping superintendents prepare for the fall and devising protocols for reopening. Latimer says the schools are counting on county government to provide certain services such as contact tracing, when needed.

I asked him what he’s been hearing from parents and teachers on the subject. He says there are two distinct lines of thinking.

“I think you’ve got a number of people who want to see the schools resume, kids back in class. They see the problems of kids who aren’t in structured learning situations, the disadvantages which that creates for poor kids or disabled children.”

On the other hand, he says, “We’re very concerned, the virus is not in control. It can spread through children and of course it could spread through every household or many households in Westchester because of the universality of K-12 education. Both of those things work against each other, and I don’t know if it’s 50-50 in the community, but those two points of view are expressed by different people all the time.”

Small Business Outlook

I asked the County Executive what he thinks the retail, restaurant and overall economic situation in Westchester will look like in the near future. He says we’ve lost businesses, and we will lose more. The county has put together a small grant loan program–$10,000 grants, $25,000 loans–as they understand that restaurants and other small businesses run on a very small profit margin and can’t afford to lose business for even a few months. And they have been giving out free PPE to businesses in the county. Latimer hopes that as more commerce can reopen, they will be able to save more restaurants, stores and other businesses from going under. That is a process that is not only going to affect businesses, but the county as well.

“We’re not going to fully reopen until we’re comfortable. And we’re going to suffer. We lose sales tax revenue, we lose hotel occupancy tax revenue, we don’t maximize the kind of parks revenue that we would normally get. So as a government, we have a big budget hole as many local towns and villages do, and the state does.”

One of the bigger challenges the country faces in light of Covid-19 is the upcoming election in November, and Latimer looks at it from two angles: what he and his staff have to do to make it all work in the county, and his concerns about what happens on the national level.

“In the county, we have our work cut out for us,” he says.

The county is working with the Board of Elections to make sure there is additional staff to mail out absentee ballots and increase the number of polling inspectors. He also says county workers will have off Election Day so they can increase staffing to open as many polls as possible.

“The number of people coming out for this election is going to be phenomenal. This is one of the most compelling elections of my lifetime. It may be the most compelling one.”

And this is where his concerns come into play about the national election. “I take for granted that the strategy should be that the greatest number of people vote in order to get the greatest inclusion in the final decision. But there are people who believe, for their political gain, that they don’t want the greatest number people to vote. They want to suppress the vote.”

Latimer says there are a thousand ways to make it hard for people to vote. He says the deployment of troops to Portland could be a tactic used in November across the country.

“Are they going to be deployed on Election Day? Are they going to show up in front of the polls in areas where the president’s opposition might be strong and their presence there is meant to dissuade people from voting?”

Never one to mince words, Latimer had a great deal to say on this subject. He insists that this is not an election anyone can afford to miss, and he encourages Westchester residents to vote early, in October.

“I don’t want to write a Stephen King novel, but the bottom line is I think that Americans are concerned that we don’t get a fair, free opportunity to express our opinion.” As for the result, he says every president in U.S. history has accepted election results. But now President Trump says he doesn’t know if he’ll accept the country’s decision.

“I don’t want to hear anybody, certainly not this guy, say I don’t know if I’ll accept it. That is an anti-American dictatorship-type of response and there is no place for it in a democracy.”

Does George Latimer think democracy will survive this period of our history? “What happens in the next six months,” he says, “will tell the tale.”

School Districts Receive Guide from County Relaying Opening Guidelines Surrounding COVID-19

August 14, 2020 by Brian Zhang

Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced on Monday that The Westchester County School Reopening Workgroup has released an eight-page “Frequently Asked Questions” guide that will assist the County’s school districts in addressing the health, COVID-19, and contact tracing requirements for their schools to reopen safely this school year.

Being one of the “major tasks” ahead of us, Latimer stressed working with school districts in reopening is a responsibility the county will do their best to coordinate. As of last week on August 7, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, announced he was authorizing school districts to open. This means 44 of the schools in Westchester are approved to reopen their doors to students in September.

“Each of these schools had to submit plans for what reopening would look like with a host of different protocols. And those protocols involve not just what you do physically to keep people safe, but how you intend to educate children,” Latimer explained.

Although the County Government does not directly control school districts, they play a role in helping implement elements of the school district’s plan. Thus, the working group was created, the County Executive states. The Workgroup has been created to provide a direct link between the County’s health and facilities departments to school administrators, staff, faculty, students, and families as they prepare for the start of the school year.

“The most important thing for all of us is to create a safe and effective plan to best educate our students this fall,” Latimer states. “I am proud of the fast and efficient guidance the County and this working group has provided to assist our school district by making this a reality. By creating these FAQs, we are serving the proper role of government: assisting those who fall within our mandate of public service.”

The work group is co-chaired by Joseph Glazer, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Community Mental Health, and Joseph Ricca, White Plains School Superintendent, and President of the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents.

The FAQ’s are part of a larger effort by the Workgroup which has already provided four workshops and answered dozens of questions from school officials and medical staff.

As for the complexity in reopening schools, Latimer acknowledges this is a heavy situation to deal with. “It’s complicated in a school setting. We have the complications in the school setting with younger children. For kindergarten, first, and second graders, it’ll be tough for them to keep their masks on; it’s going to be tough for them to remember who they interacted with.” Regarding older students, Latimer said, “While they’re capable of understanding what you’re saying, they have to give it the same weight and importance. And one of the issues we’ve had to deal with in this society at large, outside of the school setting, is how do 16, 17, 18-year-olds react when asked to change their lifestyle.”

Not only within the schools, but reopening will also have a large effect on society as a whole. “In opening schools, we are opening a major entity within our society. It’s an economic impact. It directly involves other types of decisions that have still yet to be made.” says Latimer.

“There’s a real dynamic here involved with the schools. This is the biggest thing we’re opening, probably since restaurants. But even restaurants are still voluntary. School, if school is open and is mandatory, you have to participate. And we’ll see how it plays out. I’m hopeful, but the jury is out until we get into it, and I do think we’re prepared. If it doesn’t work, however, we’ll shut it down–I think that has to be your mindset.” the County Executive concluded.

As for the statistics, there are 434 Active cases now in Westchester, a reduction of almost 30 from the previous week, 92 from the previous month, and over 700 from the peak in cases in April. The testing has been “consistent and sufficient,” according to Latimer, with 3000-4000 range of individuals being tested per day. There have been 428,800 people tested, which is well over 40% in the Westchester area, and 1/10 tested have come out positive.

“This is a good sign,” says Latimer. “The statistics are not so you can write them down in a little book; it’s to show that the level of infection here in Westchester County has dropped. And that’s important because here in Westchester, we’ve opened restaurants, retail establishments, beaches, offices, and throughout all of those different changes, we’ve been able to maintain a decreasing level of invention and impact.”