José Alvarado won reelection to the Board of Legislators in 2021 for a seventh term. In January 2022, he was selected by his colleagues to serve as Majority Whip. José was first elected to the Board in 2001 in the 17th District, covering Southwest Yonkers, earning him the distinction of becoming Westchester’s first Latino County Legislator. Jose served five terms during his first stint as a legislator – from 2002 to 2011. He returned to the Board, winning election in the 17th District for the 2020-2021 legislative term and re-election for the 2022-2023 term. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board’s Seniors and Youth Committee. José Alvarado moved from his native Honduras to Yonkers in 1982. He arrived having had only minimal exposure to a formal education and to the English language. To support his family, José held a series of minimum wage jobs while working to earn his high school equivalency diploma. While studying business at Mercy College, he volunteered as an English tutor in the school’s bilingual program. This experience launched what has been an unbroken commitment to serve his community and a life of public service. Alvarado’s volunteerism and contributions over the years include service to dozens of community based-organizations, faith-based organizations, and civic groups in the areas of education, health care, business development and more. Before his first election to the Board of Legislators, José served Westchester County as a case manager for personal care services, as management fellow for the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services and as assistant to the County Executive. He also served as special advisor to the president and CEO of White Plains Hospital for 10 years and as a community outreach consultant for several organization. For his 10 years of public service as legislator the first time around, he received the highest distinction award granted to individuals in Westchester County, and citations from all levels of government. After his initial tenure on the Board of Legislators, he served as Assistant to Yonkers Mayor and as Yonkers City Clerk. He also has taught political science as adjunct professor at Mercy College. He currently serves as Director of Recreation for Yonkers Parks Department. José has served on the Advisory Boards of the White Plains Hospital Diabetes Center, the Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Yonkers Mexican Chamber of Commerce, the Westchester Community College Yonkers Extension, and the South Broadway Business Improvement District. In returning to the legislature, José vowed to get things done for Southwest Yonkers and he has honored that commitment. He kept his pledge to bring a new water access park to the Ludlow Park Neighborhood and secured $10 million in the County 2021 Capital Budget for the park. A $5 million investment was added to complete the south-end Riverwalk project. More than $7 million is currently being put to work in Tibbett's Brook Park to modernize it and return that wonderful county asset to its original beauty. All odor mitigation projects at the Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant have been reactivated and are on the way to be completed. Needed social services are returning to southwest Yonkers at reasonable levels, and funding for the local community-based organizations serving the neediest individuals in southwest Yonkers is returning. José’s support for youth programs is unwavering. He worked with Mayor Mike Spano to reactivate the Yonkers Youth Bureau during his first term as a returning legislator. His support for Westchester’ seniors is no less steadfast. During the 2020-2021 term, he chaired the Committee on Seniors, Youth, and Intergenerational Services and oversaw programs throughout the county. José played a pivotal role in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, making sure that local food pantries maintain an adequate supply of food by supporting funding for Feeding Westchester. Along with volunteers, he personally delivered groceries and meals to the neediest and heavily affected individuals in the area, secured funding for eviction prevention, and fought to get a large vaccination site in the Yonkers Southwest area. He continues to see us through this pandemic and in January 2022 led the opening of two COVID-19 testing sites in Southwest Yonkers, and another food distribution pantry that will be opening in that area soon. José has received a multitude of recognitions, including: the American Lung Association Excellence in Leadership Award, the Hispanic Resource Center Amigo Award, La Guia Hispana Service Award, Mercy College Public Service Award, the Dominican Cultural Association of Yonkers Award, YWCA Celebrity Chef Distinction Award, Hispanic Democrats of Westchester Outstanding Legislative Leadership Award, the National Association of Counties Leadership Award, and the Child Care Council of Westchester Legislative Award. José earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Mercy College. He pursued his graduate work at Pace University where he earned a master's degree in Public Administration/Health Care. In 2010, he received a Leadership Certificate from NYU School of Management, New York. José and his wife Karla are proud parents of Amy Isabel, now attending Oswego State University; Melina Raquel, attending Saunders High School; and Ryan José, attending PEARLS Hawthorne.