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About Pete Harckham
 Hon. Peter Harckham was first elected in November 2007 to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, representing the 2nd Legislative District, comprising all of northeast Westchester. Pete has been a leading voice for reducing the size and cost of government while maintaining vital services; protecting our fragile drinking water supplies and environment; and safeguarding our families and empowering them to succeed during these difficult times.
In 2010, Pete was selected by his colleagues to serve as Majority Leader of the Board of Legislators. He was selected because of his work ethic, organizational skills and for being a bipartisan consensus builder willing to reach out and work across party lines. He is the founding Chair of the Subcommittee on Septics and also serves on the Committee on Budget & Appropriations, Committee on Legislation, Committee on Public Safety & Security and the Committee on Housing Planning & Operations.
In 2010 Pete helped craft a bipartisan 2011 budget that cut taxes -2/2% and slashed spending $30 Million. He was a strong supporter of two voluntary separation plans for county workers that reduced the size of the county government workforce by 10%, saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually. He also supported groundbreaking employee benefits reforms that will save millions more.
Pete has focused extensive energy into protecting the fragile drinking water supplies that serve both the people of Westchester and New York City. He successfully led critical negotiations between the county, municipalities, New York State and New York City regarding formulation and implementation of new MS4 septic requirements that will save municipalities hundreds of thousands of dollars. He also successfully led the effort to release $10M of NYC DEP funds to the Town of North Salem for badly needed sewers for Peach Lake. He also helped to pass groundbreaking phosphorus reduction legislation to further protect our drinking water.
Pete introduced and passed key legislation that will toughen the penalties for DWI in Westchester and will reduce the burden to taxpayers for the cost of these offenders. He has been at the center of legislative efforts to improve water and air quality, advance human rights and fair housing law as well as to protect young people from alcohol and drug abuse. He is a recognized countywide as a leading advocate for the creation of affordable housing for seniors, emergency first-responders and others in our communities.
Before being elected to the BOL, Pete served as President of A-HOME (2004 to 2007), a not-for-profit housing corporation that builds affordable housing in northern Westchester. He reached across party lines to work with local, county and state officials to secure funding for senior housing in northern Westchester. New affordable units were constructed in Croton Falls, Bedford Hills, Chappaqua, and Pound Ridge.
From 1992 to 2005, Pete served as Vice Chair of the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, a San Francisco-based foundation that supports the sustainable management of natural resources, the reduction of harmful toxins from the environment, and promotes arts and environmental education to underserved communities.
Pete has been a communications professional since 1983 when he started his career on Madison Avenue and worked for ten years for major advertising agencies. Today he is President of Harckham Media Group, LLC, a strategic partnership of advertising, communications and production professionals. With his wife, Janet, a member of the Katonah-Lewisboro School Board, he owns and manages K&E Farms, a small horse farm in Katonah, NY. Together, Pete and Janet are ardent fundraisers and contributors to several area non-profit organizations, including donating conservation  easements from their farm to the Westchester Land Trust. They have also converted their residence and farm to solar power.
In addition to his professional work, Pete serves on the President's Council for the Northern Westchester Hospital, is a board member for the United Way of Westchester and Putnam, the Junior League of Northern Westchester Community Advisory Council, the ALOFT Livable Communities Council and for many years was a girls soccer coach for the Lewisboro Soccer Club.
Pete is a lifelong resident of the Hudson Valley, having grown up in Rockland County. Pete and Janet moved to Katonah in 1991. Together they have two daughters, Emma, 16, and Kate, 13, who attend the Katonah-Lewisboro public schools.
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