Local Matters Westchester

Just weeks before the Nov. 3 election, District 17 Democratic candidate Cait Conley joins us for a fast-paced half-hour episode to discuss her challenge to incumbent Republican Mike Lawler. She answers our questions about why she left the military, which congressional committees she hopes to join, and whether she expects tensions between moderates and progressives in the Democratic Party.Conley also responds to our inquiries about cost-of-living, Flock surveillance, investigations into President Trump, impeachment, how to wind down the Iran war, and much more.

Composer, conductor, author, and attorney Michael Shapiro, a Chappaqua resident, joins us for a conversation about creativity and his extraordinary life in music.Shapiro discusses his 16 years leading the Chappaqua Orchestra, his score for Frankenstein, and his orchestral work “Zoomies!,” inspired by his granddogs and entered for consideration for the 2027 Grammy Awards. He also shares stories about his musical roots, his work with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and describes his bestselling book The Jewish 100, explaining why Moses earned the top spot over Jesus of Nazareth. 

Clare Murray, executive director of the Community Center of Northern Westchester, joins Local Matters Westchester to discuss the growing need for food, clothing, and services across the area. Murray details the center’s history, its recently completed expansion, and the serious challenges facing seniors and working families. She also shares about the center’s upcoming October 2 fundraiser, and much more.

More than 15 years after Westchester County’s affordable housing settlement, how much progress has been made? Former Legislator Michael Smith, who helped oversee the original settlement, and Andrew Smith of Westchester Residential Opportunities join the podcast to look at what’s worked, what hasn’t, and why housing remains such a challenge. They talk about zoning, development, local politics, rising costs, and what it will take to build more affordable housing across the county.

A quarter century after 9/11, Pleasantville filmmaker Andrea Garbarini discusses the loss of her husband, firefighter Charles Garbarini, and the making of From the Ground Up, her film about five New York firefighters’ widows. Garbarini also explains what led her from nursing to filmmaking and bringing socially conscious films to the area through her organization, Films On Purpose.