Republican Bernice Spreckman was first elected to the 17-member Westchester County Board of Legislators in 1995. As the legislator for the 14th district, she represents a large portion of the City of Yonkers and part of the City of Mount Vernon. She is the Chair of the Board's Special Committee on Senior Citizens that includes both legislators and citizens from all over Westchester. She also serves as a member of the Special Committee on Parks and Recreation and the Committee on County Officers and Departments. Prior to serving as a County Legislator, Spreckman served three terms, from 1978 to 1983, as 2nd Ward Councilmember for the City of Yonkers, and in 1983 she was elected Councilmember-at-Large. From 1984 to 1985, she served as the Vice-Mayor of Yonkers and as Chair of the City Council's Committees on Rules and Real Estate. Spreckman is a past member of the Yonkers Board of Parks and Recreation and also served as the first woman president of the New York State Councilman's Association. Spreckman has worked extensively with numerous community service organizations including the Lincoln Park Taxpayers Association, the East Yonkers Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA Board of Directors, the March of Dimes, Operation Gene Screen, the American Women's Bowling Association, the Northwest Preservation Corporation, and the Women's Institute of Yonkers. A tireless advocate for senior citizens, Spreckman has initiated several successful and innovative programs, including the Shopper's Shuttle and the Adopt-a-Senior Citizen Center Program. In the Special Committee on Seniors, HMO reform and lower prescription drug prices remain Spreckman’s top priorities. She leads an annual lobby day in Albany for Westchester citizens to express their concerns to state lawmakers. Spreckman also organized an information drive to make seniors aware of the "Balanced Billing" law, which protects them from being overcharged by their doctors. She works closely with the New York State Attorney General's office on other ways to combat elder fraud and abuse. Spreckman has been an advocate in the effort to keep County taxes under control. She supports a measure that would make it more difficult for the County Legislature to raise taxes by requiring a two-thirds majority of the Board. Currently, the County can raise taxes with only 9 out of 17 legislators supporting the increase. Among her many recent honors and awards, Spreckman was inducted into the Westchester County Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in 2002 and she was named “Woman of the Year” by the Westchester County Federation of Women’s Clubs in 2003. Bernice Spreckman and her husband Harry have been married for 39 years and reside in Yonkers. They have three children and six grandchildren.