Elected by large margins in 1997, 2001 and 2005, County Executive Andy Spano was the second Democrat to be elected to the county’s highest office. As County Executive, Andy 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.

A nationally recognized leader whose innovative programs have served as a model for communities nationwide, Andy has championed programs to keep Westchester residents safe. From his aggressive stance on getting drunk drivers off our roadways to his campaign to keep dangerous sex offenders behind bars, Andy is a proven leader when it comes to protecting the public .By using technology to better analyze trouble spots on the roadways and adding sobriety checkpoints, county police under Andy’s leadership have reduced accidents on our parkways and have tripled the number of drunk driving arrests.

Andy has fought at the state level for increased penalties for sex offenders, and at the local level he got the courts to put bracelets on sex offenders so their whereabouts can be monitored.

A protector of the environment, Andy has preserved 2,000 acres of open space from Yonkers to Yorktown and through his Legacy program has created ball fields and passive recreation areas in communities throughout Westchester.

He tripled, to $30 million, the County’s New Homes Land Acquisition Fund, which helped builders of affordable housing overcome the high cost of land.
Under his administration, the county expanded day care and addressed problems such as teen drinking, smoking and obesity. He has provided locator bracelets for Alzheimer’s patients and autistic children who are prone to wandering for their safety.

As County Executive he pushed the state to cap Medicaid costs, saving Westchester taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in this state mandated expense. He also fought Con Edison to get residential and business energy costs reduced.

As past president of the County Executives of America, an organization representing the interests of counties nationwide, and past Co-Chair of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, Andy has used his influence to make changes in state and national policy. Throughout his tenure as County Executive, Andy has brought Westchester into the national spotlight with cutting edge programs that have made Westchester first.

Under his leadership, Westchester County has received more than 200 awards from some of the most prestigious state, national and international agencies. Westchester is the only county in the state with a AAA bond rating from all three rating agencies. The county has the only accredited Parks Department in the nation, and its Correction Department is one of the few in the state to hold that distinction. Both its airport and its wastewater treatment plants have earned certifications for meeting the highest national environmental standards. And in 2008, Westchester was named one of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities for technological innovation in part because of Andy’s Spano’s vision to create a broadband network that now connects more than 3,500 businesses, schools and government buildings in Westchester.

Andy added a Department of Information Technology as well as a Department of Emergency Services and expanded the Departments of Consumer Protection and Senior Programs and Services to better protect and serve county residents, while reducing the number of county employees.

In addition to his tenure as county executive, Andy served as Westchester County Clerk for 11 years and was credited with modernizing the clerk’s office, creating the county’s nationally renowned Archives and Records Center. Prior to his career in politics, Andy was an educator for 25 years and one of the founders of the United Federation of Teachers in New York City.

Andy has been the recipient of numerous awards in the areas of human rights, education, government and labor. Some of these include: The 2009 Intelligent Community Forum’s Founder Award, an international award for IT innovation; an honorary doctorate from Manhattanville College in 2009; the 2008 “Man of the Year” Award from the New York State Audubon Society; the first Federated Conservationist of Westchester Green Leadership Award in 2008; an honorary doctorate in Commercial Affairs from Pace University; the O’Hare Medal awarded by Fordham University’s School for Social Justice; the Westchester Arts Council's “Man of the Year" award; The Guardian of the Sound Award for environmental protection of the Long Island Sound; the Fight Hunger Award from the Westchester Coalition of Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens; and the Special Achievement Award from the New York State Federation of Police.

Andy grew up in the Bronx. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Fordham University. He and his wife, Brenda Resnick Spano, live in Yorktown.