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Record of Proceedings

Appointments Committee Meeting - May 18, 2026

Board of Legislators & Committees — Monday, May 18, 2026
BodyWestchester County, New York
SessionBoard of Legislators & Committees
DateMonday, May 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:06

And RC.

0:07

Yeah, yeah.

0:08

This meeting is being recorded and summarized.

0:14

Sure.

0:15

If you're looking for a backup.

0:18

Okay, well, good afternoon.

0:20

My name is Anant Lambert.

0:21

I'm the chair of the Aformance Committee, and I'm going to call this meeting to all right 305.

0:26

And first going to start with attendance.

0:30

I am presence Vice Chair Clemens.

0:35

Chair.

0:39

Legislative Puja.

0:41

Here.

0:42

Thank you.

0:43

Legislative Uli.

0:45

And Chairman Dashi.

0:46

Here.

0:47

Okay.

0:47

So we are adjourned with it with the quorum.

0:51

And so the first thing we're going to start is just minutes.

0:54

We have minutes from April 20th.

0:58

And I'm just going to ask for a motion for any approval for the approval of the minutes.

1:04

So moved.

1:05

Thank you.

1:06

I got a second.

1:08

Second.

1:09

Thank you.

1:10

And I am a yes.

1:14

Legislative Puja?

1:15

Yes.

1:16

Thank you.

1:17

Chairman Gashi.

1:18

Yes.

1:19

Excellent.

1:20

Minutes are passed.

1:21

Today we have five appointments.

1:23

So we're going to start.

1:25

First, the first appointment is the Honorable Ben Boykin, who is being nominated to the Governing Boarding of the Westchester County Healthcare Corporation.

1:36

And so, Mr.

1:37

Would you like to join us?

1:38

Sure.

1:42

Thank you, Mike.

1:43

Thank you very much for your time today.

1:46

And obviously, we're very excited to have you join.

1:50

Would love to hear just your thoughts on the role, your interest in the role in the role, any challenges that you see, just kind of your general thoughts.

1:59

Okay.

2:00

Thank you, Mr.

2:01

Chairman, and Chairman Gashi and all honorable members of the board.

2:06

Thank you for inviting me to the appointments committee today for appointment to the Westchester County Healthcare Corporation.

2:15

As you know, the Westchester Healthcare Corporation, just as a little background, was once totally part of Western County.

2:23

And many years ago, when my predecessor, uh Bill Ryan was chair of the board along with Spano, the Westchester Medical Center was spun off into a public benefit corporation.

2:40

And it had one facility at that point in time.

2:44

And now it was in Westchester, and now it has grown to nine hospitals on seven campuses.

3:16

And where the governor has certain appointments, the county executive has certain appointments, and the board of legislators chairman and majority leader have certain appointments to the Westchester Medical Center Corporation vote.

3:39

I know Judith Watkin.

3:41

I know Michael Tullis.

3:49

The board is composed of 17 members.

3:51

I think three or four non-voted at this point in time.

4:21

No one is turned away.

4:33

Also, I think there's gonna be another issue that I know the hospital is wrestling with how to consolidate and integrate all the nine hospitals over time.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters███████████████████████████████31%
Public Health████████████████████████████28%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Affordable Housing█████████████████17%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Workforce Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Appointments Committee Meeting - May 18, 2026

The Appointments Committee of the Westchester County Board of Legislators met on May 18, 2026 at 3:00 PM to consider and vote on several appointments to county boards and corporations. The meeting was chaired by Legislator Anant Nambiar. All five appointments were approved unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: The minutes of the April 20, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Appointment of Hon. Benjamin Boykin II to the Westchester County Health Care Corporation (WCHCC) Board: Legislators praised Boykin's extensive experience, including his prior service as chair of the WCHCC board and as a former legislator. Boykin discussed the growth of WCHCC from one hospital to nine hospitals on seven campuses, the financial challenges from federal Medicaid cuts, and the need for consolidation and integration. The appointment was approved unanimously.

  • Appointment of Tamer El-Rayess to the WCHCC Board: El-Rayess, a finance and technology expert, highlighted his experience as a board member and chair within the Bon Secours network (acquired by WCHCC), and his expertise in integrating new systems and AI. He identified the need to increase the commercial payer mix from 20% to 40% and improve patient access through technology. Chair Nambiar noted that El-Rayess would be the first Muslim member of the WCHCC board. The appointment was approved unanimously.

  • Appointment of Nick Beqi to the Westchester County Rent Guidelines Board: Beqi, a small business owner in construction and a Yonkers resident, spoke about the affordability crisis, noting that rents have risen dramatically since he moved to the U.S. in 1998. Legislators discussed the need for housing at all price points, workforce housing, and the importance of the rent guidelines board. Beqi expressed interest in using his construction expertise to find cost-saving approaches for affordable housing. The appointment was approved unanimously.

  • Appointment of Dr. Clifford Bluestein to the WCHCC Board: Dr. Bluestein, a former urologic surgeon with an MBA, described his career in health care consulting, IT implementations, and running a public company. He emphasized his ability to translate between clinical and administrative perspectives. Legislators valued his diverse background in health care economics and his teaching at NYU Stern. The appointment was approved unanimously.

  • Appointment of Shannon Algiere to the Westchester County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board: Algiere, a farmer with 30 years of experience, serves as the director of the Stone Barns Center for Agriculture. She spoke about her work in regenerative agriculture, farmer training, and protecting farmland. Legislators praised the work of Stone Barns and her expertise. The appointment was approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • All five appointments were approved by unanimous voice votes:
    1. Hon. Benjamin Boykin II – WCHCC Board (term: May 18, 2026 – May 18, 2031)
    2. Tamer El-Rayess – WCHCC Board (term: May 18, 2026 – May 18, 2031)
    3. Nick Beqi – Rent Guidelines Board (term upon approval by NYS DHCR, expire Dec 31, 2030)
    4. Dr. Clifford Bluestein – WCHCC Board (term: May 18, 2026 – May 18, 2031)
    5. Shannon Algiere – Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board (term: May 18, 2026 – May 18, 2030)
  • The meeting was adjourned at 3:14 PM.

Meeting Transcript

And RC. Yeah, yeah. This meeting is being recorded and summarized. Sure. If you're looking for a backup. Okay, well, good afternoon. My name is Anant Lambert. I'm the chair of the Aformance Committee, and I'm going to call this meeting to all right 305. And first going to start with attendance. I am presence Vice Chair Clemens. Chair. Legislative Puja. Here. Thank you. Legislative Uli. And Chairman Dashi. Here. Okay. So we are adjourned with it with the quorum. And so the first thing we're going to start is just minutes. We have minutes from April 20th. And I'm just going to ask for a motion for any approval for the approval of the minutes. So moved. Thank you. I got a second. Second. Thank you. And I am a yes. Legislative Puja? Yes. Thank you. Chairman Gashi. Yes. Excellent. Minutes are passed. Today we have five appointments. So we're going to start. First, the first appointment is the Honorable Ben Boykin, who is being nominated to the Governing Boarding of the Westchester County Healthcare Corporation. And so, Mr. Would you like to join us? Sure. Thank you, Mike. Thank you very much for your time today. And obviously, we're very excited to have you join. Would love to hear just your thoughts on the role, your interest in the role in the role, any challenges that you see, just kind of your general thoughts. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Chairman Gashi and all honorable members of the board. Thank you for inviting me to the appointments committee today for appointment to the Westchester County Healthcare Corporation. As you know, the Westchester Healthcare Corporation, just as a little background, was once totally part of Western County.

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