Q&A: Kisha Skipper on Housing, Affordability and Representation in Westchester County’s District 15
Kisha Skipper, president of the Yonkers NAACP and a longtime community advocate focused on housing and environmental justice, is seeking election as Westchester County Legislator in District 15. The district includes Bronxville, part of Eastchester, and portions of Yonkers. In an interview with Yonkers Post contributor Michael Lazari, Skipper discussed affordability, development, public safety, environmental concerns, and her approach to representation.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Minor repetition and filler words have been removed.
Yonkers Post: What made you decide that now was the time to run for county legislator?
Kisha Skipper: What prompted me to run, if I’m being honest, is that I believe the district is underrepresented by an incumbent who is committed to Trump-era politics and propaganda, and I honestly feel like we deserve better representation. That’s not personal, but if I’m being honest, that’s what prompted me to run. That’s not why I’m running.
I believe I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. I’ve been involved in politics and government for more than 30 years. I’m a lifelong Democrat, 35 years this December, and I’ve worked on more than three dozen campaigns helping to elect Democratic candidates aligned with my values.
This is my first time campaigning for office, and I do think there’s a difference between campaigning and governing. People call me and say, “My elevator is out,” and I tell them who to call. People say they want someone to champion legislation and I can tell them, “That’s the state level, call your senator.” I’m a walking encyclopedia and address book. I’m Google before Google, because I’ve had a lifelong commitment to service and community.
I also believe representatives should not just be from our communities, but in our communities. People should know you before you start campaigning. The same way neighbors know who to call when something goes wrong.
Yonkers Post: For people in District 15 who may not know you well, how would you describe yourself beyond politics?
Kisha Skipper: I’m a service person. A servant, a public servant, community servant, an advocate and an activist. I’m not a politico. I understand the difference between politics and government, and I know you have to go through the political process to be elected, but I’m rooted in service.
I’ve lived in this city for about 20 years, and I’ve raised my family here. People may know my resume serving as president of the NAACP, serving as president of the board of the YWCA, working in local government as an aide to the City Council, working as an election technician with the Westchester County Board of Elections, but I’m also a mom of two.
My oldest son is active duty in the United States Marine Corps, stationed in Okinawa. My youngest is a community activist in his own right. I come from a family of service, and I think elected officials sometimes forget that “elected official” is synonymous with public service.
Both of my parents are deceased. I was raised by my maternal great-grandmother, who is 98 and still living here in Yonkers. She comes from a time and culture where we don’t take opportunities for granted, because they weren’t simply given. So when I show up in spaces, I believe I have a moral, spiritual, and ethical obligation to be of service.
People ask me, “Why is a Black woman running in a predominantly white district?” That’s a fair question. The district is more than 60% white, under 10% African American, under 10% Asian, and about 20% Latinx. I’m learning Spanish because I want to communicate with all communities. I’m also learning sign language because I know disability access matters. That commitment doesn’t come with my campaign, it’s who I am at my core.
Yonkers Post: District 15 includes Bronxville, part of Eastchester, and portions of Yonkers. What do you think unites those communities, and where are their priorities different?
Kisha Skipper: I want to be intentional about the district. The 15th district encompasses all of Bronxville, a small portion of Eastchester, and part of Yonkers one of four county legislators representing Yonkers.
What unites us are shared challenges: transportation, inequities in transportation, affordability, housing and energy, flooding, environmental concerns.
I served on the climate workers task force and was instrumental in developing Yonkers’ climate action plan. I still serve on the air quality working group and the flood mitigation working group. Environmental issues impact the west side, the east side, Bronxville and Eastchester. Asthma rates might be higher in some areas, but the children, seniors, and disabled communities exist across the district.
I don’t like leaning into divisions. I will work as hard for the Asian community, the Latinx community, the white community, as I will for the Black community, because what affects one of us affects all of us. My commitment is fair and equitable representation.
Yonkers Post: What issues are not being addressed sufficiently?
Kisha Skipper: Affordability, housing, and energy. The proposed Con Edison hikes have been astronomical. People feel priced out, whether they’re growing families looking for a home or seniors trying to downsize and stay in the community they love.
Flooding and air quality remain major concerns. Public safety and policing also matter, and people are increasingly concerned about what they’re seeing at the federal level around undocumented residents and families being separated without due process.
I appreciate the county’s commitment not to use local resources in those efforts, but do we need to strengthen legislation further? Yes. We need to be intentional in communicating that people will not be taken advantage of using local records or institutions. People are feeling unheard and unsafe.
Yonkers Post: Housing affordability is a recurring topic in local discussions. What does “affordable” actually mean in real terms?
Kisha Skipper: The education piece is the priority explaining that “affordable” doesn’t necessarily mean affordable for everyone. Often, when people say “affordable housing,” they’re referring to lower-income housing.
If you’re paying 30% or more of your income on rent, you’re rent-burdened. If you’re paying more than 50%, you’re severely rent-burdened.
In Westchester, the area median income isn’t comparable to Yonkers’ median income, so there’s already a gap. Every municipality has a responsibility to close that gap, and it can’t be uniform because each municipality has its own median income.
If the county’s area median income for a family of four is around $104,000 to $114,000, but Yonkers is far lower, we need to address that. Part of it is increasing the number of set-asides in new developments. Yonkers has a 10% affordable housing ordinance, but those set-asides are broken into percentages of area median income: 50%, 80%, 100%.
We need to make sure those brackets match what working people actually earn. I would like to see a higher percentage like 20% set-asides for developments of 100 units or more and we also need to adjust the AMI percentages so “affordable” is truly affordable for the workforce.
The key question is: affordable for who?
Yonkers Post: How do you balance the need for development with concerns about schools, traffic and infrastructure?
Kisha Skipper: We need a clear, communicated development plan and I have not seen evidence of that. People talk about development downtown, but I’m seeing storage unit facilities going up, and I ask: who is this serving?
We need participatory budgeting and more community input. We need to hear people. Even with major projects, residents show up and explain how they’ll be impacted and I have not always seen a real balance between what residents experience and what decision-makers prioritize.
Development can be good when it’s intentional, strategic, and clearly communicated. The layperson isn’t attending planning board and zoning board meetings, and public hearings are not always made truly public to the public. We need broader input from more people not just a narrow group.
Yonkers Post: Taxes are a frequent topic in Westchester policy discussions. How do you balance tax stability with the need for services?
Kisha Skipper: I think the people who have the money should be contributing more. I know it’s not the popular thing to say, but it’s clear to me.
I watched the county budget process. It’s a $2.8 billion budget and even with minimal tax increases, people complained. It’s disappointing because if you don’t want to step over people in your bank, and if you don’t want people suffering with mental health issues and other public health and safety issues, then contribute more so programs and services exist.
You can’t complain about the fire being hot if you don’t want to put it out.
Yonkers Post: What would a restructured mental health response system look like?
Kisha Skipper: My father was a police officer and later a federal drug enforcement agent. I’m not anti-police. But expecting police to respond to someone in a mental health crisis is illogical.
We need systems where the people who are trained and equipped to deal with mental health emergencies are the ones being deployed. It’s not traditional social workers who aren’t trained for crisis response either. We need a specific group of people employed by county government who are trained for mental health emergencies.
If your house is on fire and you call 911, and a social worker comes, you’re going to ask, “What are you doing here?” You need someone with the right tools for the job. Police should secure the scene and keep people safe, but the primary response should be specialized.
Arresting someone with mental health issues doesn’t solve the problem. It’s like putting a person struggling with addiction in jail when they need treatment.
Yonkers Post: Which infrastructure issue would you prioritize?
Kisha Skipper: Air quality although flood mitigation and infrastructure are also important. Roads need repair. People shouldn’t be stranded on the Bronx River Parkway or the Saw Mill during storms, and that’s not going to be fixed overnight.
But air quality is an urgent issue, and a lot of what we’re seeing is newer climate change, energy efficiency, and how these issues impact communities.
I’m coming off of being oxygen-dependent for nearly six years after COVID pneumonia in March 2020. I have pulmonary fibrosis in both lungs. So I understand firsthand how air quality impacts people with lung disease and respiratory disorders.
There’s information people don’t have. The Yonkers Public Library has air quality monitors people can borrow with a library card. There are ways to map the information. People don’t know why they can’t open their windows on certain days, and they don’t know how to monitor or protect themselves, especially seniors, and disabled residents. We need to get that information out in the clearest terms.
Disability access inequities are also a major issue I care about.
Yonkers Post: If elected, how do you want residents to describe your leadership after your first year?
Kisha Skipper: I hope they see authenticity. A legislator who leads with integrity. Someone who strives to create a district where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.
The policy work is part of the job, but I want people to feel represented by someone who sees them, hears them, and values them. My expectation is that after the first year, my constituents will be able to say I represented them in that way.
Yonkers Post: If you could recommend one restaurant to someone visiting Yonkers, what would be your go-to spot and favorite dish?
Kisha Skipper: Because the district encompasses three municipalities, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention others.
In Yonkers, my family loves IHOP on Central Avenue near the bookstore. We go to Barnes & Noble, get books, and go to IHOP. I usually get steak tips and eggs. My son loves the silver dollar pancakes. My oldest loves the funny face pancakes.
In Bronxville, I would say The Broken Bow. In Eastchester/Tuckahoe, Wicked Wolf.
And as a bonus, not in my district, Off the Hook downtown on North Broadway. It’s Black-owned. The catfish nuggets are amazing, and I love the black-eyed peas with white rice.
