County Leaders Discuss Renewed Interest in Suburbs During Annual Forum

About 200 business leaders and local residents participated in the Annual County Executive Forum on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 to hear the latest information from the County Executives from Westchester, Rockland, and Orange Counties.  The event, which was sponsored by the Palisades Institute, took place via Zoom.

The county leaders spoke about reopening businesses following the COVID-19 outbreak and the financial challenges  faced by local governments. However, all three leaders said that there is a silver lining to the tumultuous times — a renewed interest in moving to the suburbs.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said, “People want to be where there is less dense, intense population.  They want to be in places with a little more elbow room and they believe that will help them stay real healthy.”

In addition, the County Executives predicted telecommuting will become more widespread in the future since many people have been working from home during stay-at-home restrictions, while continuing to be productive

The County Executive Forum is a long tradition of the Palisades Institute and has been held annually since 2005.