Who is Leslye?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas is a proud product of public schools and a first-generation college graduate. She was raised by a single parent in a Spanish-speaking household and lived in Bronx municipal housing, dependent on public assistance. Her upbringing shaped her understanding of dignity, fairness, and the real consequences of policy decisions.

About Leslye

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from SUNY Buffalo and a Master’s degree in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. She also holds a certificate in French language and civilization from Sorbonne University in Paris, France. She is fluent in Spanish and French.

She is Puerto Rican, married to a Black American whose parents immigrated from Trinidad, and the mother of two biracial daughters. Her family reflects the multi-racial, working-class families that define the 17th District. She is also the primary caretaker for her 79 year old mother who suffers from dementia. On her free time, she mentors students with the Yonkers Partners in Education Program (YPIE). She also started a family hot sauce business recently, using her mother-in-law’s West Indian hot sauce recipe - Thomas Family Taste.

Professional Experience

For more than a decade, Leslye has worked in the Yonkers City Council office of Councilwoman Corazon Pineda-Isaac, including 2 years as Chief of Staff. She worked directly with constituents every day — resolving housing issues, preventing evictions, acting as an intermediary with DSS, and connecting residents to services and resources.

Before starting to work at the Yonkers City Council, Leslye served internationally with the United Nations in Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Ivory Coast) and with the Organization of American States in Ecuador, supporting democratic institutions and post-conflict transitions.

Leslye A. Oquendo-Thomas works in the Yonkers City Council office of Councilwoman Corazon Pineda-Isaac, where she serves as chief of staff. She previously served with the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Ivory Coast, and with the Organization of American States in Ecuador.

2026 New York General Election

Advocates for development projects that provide paid training, trade apprenticeships, local hiring, project labor agreements, and protections against wage theft.

As Yonkers grows, residents should benefit from all the development taking place in the City.

Leslye believes new development should lead to paid job training opportunities, apprenticeships in the trades, local hiring requirements that prioritizes Yonkers residents first, and project labor agreements that guarantee worker protections, living wages, and efficient development projects that are up to labor standards, in addition to protections against wage theft.

Economic development must create long-term stability for families already living here.

Our Priorities

Pursuing a higher education should not be a financial hardship. Westchester Community College should be an extension of public education, and it should be free so that residents can get ahead!

As of October 23, 2026, Leslye A. Oquendo-Thomas’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Economy

My priority is to bring responsive, independent leadership that puts residents first. In Southwest Yonkers and across Westchester, we must address affordability, housing, public safety, infrastructure, and access to services. That means investing in affordable housing, good-paying jobs, youth programs, childcare, healthcare, senior services, reliable transportation, and ensuring public dollars are distributed fairly to communities that have been overlooked for too long.

Westchester County Legislator District 17 — VOTE411 Voter Guide. Additional information available on VOTE411.org.

Government should not feel like a maze designed to wear people down.

Leslye will push to reduce DSS delays, improve efficiency, expand language access, and ensure seniors, families, and working residents can access the help they need without unnecessary barriers.

Services should work the first time — not after months of frustration.

Public Services

Supports tenant protections, housing aligned with local incomes, and permanent solutions to homelessness.

Leslye will fight for a Yonkers-specific approach to affordability — not countywide formulas that price working families out. She supports real tenant protections, housing that reflects local incomes, and permanent solutions to homelessness. She also wants to create paths to homeownership.

Housing & Urban Development

County Services That Work

Leslye will also stand firm against discriminatory enforcement, protect personal data, and expand access to immigration legal services — because everyone deserves safety and dignity.

Leslye will work to increase accountability and transparency by requiring reporting of all ICE requests for detention and information and document how the County handles such requests. Leslye will also work to ensure compliance across all County agencies by ensuring law enforcement agents throughout the county are clear on what they CAN do versus what they CANNOT do.

Public Safety

Advocates for tying county capital planning and funding to infrastructure needs before approving new development projects.

Infrastructure matters too. Development is coming into a city with aging infrastructure. County funding and capital planning should be tied to real infrastructure needs so we’re not building new projects on top of old systems that can’t support them.

Q&A: Leslye Oquendo-Thomas on Her Termination, Representation, and Affordability in District 17 — The Yonkers Post

Transportation is the lifeline of the residents of District 17, which is one of the poorest districts in the County. It’s how residents get to work and school, and it should be free. In Westchester, we had free buses during Covid and more recently, we had free buses during the summer. Leslye will work to expand this year-round.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Energy & the Environment

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Leslye A. Oquendo-Thomas

As of October 23, 2026, LESLYE A OQUENDO-THOMAS’s website did not contain information on this issue.