On November 3, registered voters in Westchester County will head to the polls to choose candidates running for county executive, district attorney and county clerk. All 17 seats on the Board of Legislators are also up for grabs, including District 8 (Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Greenburgh), where longtime Legislator Lois Bronz (D) is retiring.

District 12 Legislator Thomas Abinanti (D), who represents Irvington, Greenburgh and three other river towns, is running unopposed for a 10th term.

County Executive

It’s a rematch from 2005 with three-term incumbent Democrat Andrew Spano being challenged by former Republican county legislator Rob Astorino.

Spano, 73, who served 12 years as county clerk and was credited with modernizing the office, was first elected county executive in 1997. The Yorktown resident often boasts about Westchester being the only county in the state with a AAA bond rating.

In addition, Spano said he has initiated dozens of programs to improve the quality of life in Westchester, programs that enhance the security and safety of all county residents, protect the environment, fight for consumers, increase the efficiency and transparency of county government and encourage affordable housing.

Astorino, 42, who received 42% of the vote running on a government reform and tax relief platform four years ago, is station manager and program director of The Catholic Channel on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio. The Hawthorne resident served one two-year term on the Board of Legislators (2004-05).

Vowing to “stop the tax madness,” Astorino has pledged to consolidate government services, restore transparency and accountability and reform ethics.

The county executive position is a four-year term that pays an annual salary of $162,760.

District 8 Legislator

After 16 years on the county board, including two years as chairman, Bronz is stepping aside, leaving an opportunity for either Democrat Alfreda Williams or Republican Thomas Bock to win the $49,200 seat.

Williams, who has been endorsed by Bronz, served 14 years as Greenburgh Town Clerk. Bock has been an Elmsford firefighter for 36 years.

Williams supports consolidation and zero-based budgeting. Bock also supports consolidation, along with a plan to assist residents with down payments to promote home ownership.

District Attorney

A trio of candidates are vying for the four-year term, $136,700 District Attorney position, currently held by Democrat Janet DiFiore.

DiFiore, who was elected as a Republican in 2005, touts one of the highest felony conviction rates (98%) in New York State. She said she works aggressively to prevent wrongful conviction, combat gun and drug violence, protect children online and improve victim safety.

One of the challengers is Republican Dan Schorr, a criminal law professor and former assistant district attorney in Westchester and Queen counties, specializing in the prosecution of domestic violence, sex crimes, child abuse and homicides.

Running on the Independence and Working Families lines is Tony Castro, who lost to DiFiore in a Democratic primary. He ran for district attorney in 2001 and currently works in private practice, focusing on criminal and civil litigation.

County Clerk

The race for county clerk pits incumbent Democrat Timothy Idoni against Republican Robert Morabito, a former Town of Rye supervisor. The position is a four-year term that pays an annual salary of $153,115.