up2us Values Champion - Vedat Gashi

Up2Us is proud to add Vedat Gashi to our Wall of Champions.

Vedat Gashi has long been championing our democratic values. He came to the US as a refugee fleeing an oppressive regime in Kosovo. He later worked as a lawyer for the UN to help bring peace and democracy to Kosovo.

As a two term County Legislator, Vedat has chaired the budget and appropriations committee where he expanded services and resources, while cutting taxes. He sponsored a first in the nation gun safety law that requires gun dealers to post informational warning signs to customers, a move applauded by Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety. 

Vedat will stand with our allies Israel and Ukraine. He knows the hard realities and promise of the American dream, and has fought to protect that dream, for all of us.

We are proud to call Vedat Gashi our County Legislator, future Congressman and an Up2Us Champion.

up2us Values Champion - Ellen Hendrickx

Up2Us is proud to add Ellen Hendrickx to our Wall of Champions.

After 20 years as founding partner of an architectural design firm handling corporate interiors for companies nationwide, Ellen became involved in government in 2010. She first worked as Legislative Aide to MaryJane Shimsky and later added the concurrent position of Committee Coordinator for The Public Works Committee in the County Legislature. Ellen later joined CE George Latimer's Senior Staff as Assistant Director of Intergovernmental Services, and in 2019, she served on the Greenburgh Town Council to fill out the late Kevin Morgan’s term.

During her years as DL and Chair, she has worked on and run many campaigns to elect Hastings’ Mayors, Trustees and esteemed Judge DiSalvo. She has also worked on many other campaigns and staffed campaign committees for Legislator Shimsky, Greenburgh Town Judge Delores Scott-Brathwaite, Family Court Judge Arlene Gordon-Oliver and County Executive Latimer. 

Hendrickx has always had an impulse to help others—she was an active supporter of the Westchester County Immigrant Protection Act from its inception - within County Government and outside. Likewise,  with the NYS Green Light Law, she  was instrumental in putting together a group of volunteers to help ready an extension of Neighbor's Link in Nodine Hill in Yonkers.

Hendrickx’s experience as Democratic Chair, Legislative Aide and Committee Coordinator for the Westchester County Board of Legislators and then Assistant Director for the County Executive, all contribute to a breadth of experience that she can call upon to make a substantive contribution to the community.

The main issues Hendrickx will focus on include actively encouraging developers to build affordable housing, including adaptive reuse of former corporate and retail properties; realizing revenue from innovative sources that don’t rely on taxing Greenburgh residents such as implementing a demand/response program and actively seeking shared service opportunities to reduce expenditures; and stabilizing existing businesses and attracting new one. She also wants to explore finding ways to nurture small businesses that had started up online during the pandemic and helping them grow. 

Ellen was a resident of Hastings-on-Hudson from 1999 until 2012 before moving to Clarewood in unincorporated Greenburgh though with a Hastings address. During that time, she served as a member of the Hastings Architectural Review Board; was selected as a member of the Comprehensive Plan Committee; and was subsequently appointed as a member of the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee. She became a District Leader in 2007 and has served as Chair of the Hastings on Hudson Democratic Committee since 2010.

up2us Values Champion - Lisa Tannenbaum

Lisa Tannenbaum received her BA from Carnegie Mellon University and her MBA from Northwestern University. She worked in the corporate world until 2016 when she transitioned to a career in politics and government. She was a Fellow in the Hillary for America campaign and helped to manage the office in White Plains. She later was Regional Field Director for George Latimer and Field Director for Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Most recently she served as Director of Community Outreach for Congressman Eliot Engel.

Lisa, a Democrat is running for Rye City Council on the Democratic line to bring her vast experience in business, politics and government to serve the people of Rye. If elected her goals are to preserve the character of Rye while meeting the evolving needs such as clean energy, wetlands protection and housing needs; fostering a welcoming community; enhancing infrastructure.

Lisa has been championing Democratic values throughout her career. She is committed to working to achieve equity for all races and is a strong advocate for Criminal Justice Reform. She believes in offering legal status and a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who call this country home. She strongly supports equal protection from discrimination for the LGBTQ+ community and has been endorsed by the Hudson Valley Stonewall Democrats. Lisa understands that climate change is a crisis. If elected one of her initiatives would be to make it easier to install clean energy such as solar. Many municipalities have adopted a NY State common permit process. Currently Rye delays installment by requiring a complex, multi-step process. Lisa is staunch advocate for common-sense gun legislation to reduce gun violence. She adamantly believes in women’s reproductive rights.

The Up2Us Board of Directors is proud to announce that Lisa Tannenbaum is an Up2Us Values Champion.

Up2Us Values Champion - George Latimer

George Latimer speaking at the first Up2Us Meeting

George Latimer has long been championing our democratic values, first as a Rye Councilman, then as a Legislator and Chairman of the County Board of Legislators, then Assemblyman and State Senator, and now as our County Executive.

Since his election to County Executive in 2017, he has championed so much of what we stand for, including  promoting gun sense, celebrating diversity and protecting  the environment.  He ensured gun shows could no longer be held at the Westchester County Center, established the Asian-American and Arab-American Advisory Boards and recently issued an Executive Order to facilitate the electrification of the County’s fleet to reduce the carbon footprint and save taxpayer dollars.

He steered Westchester through the worst of the pandemic with his strong  and steady leadership.

We are proud to call George Latimer our County Executive and our first Up2Us Champion.