Kenneth W. Jenkins,
Chairman of the Board
District 16

Ken Jenkins, a leader in Democratic politics for over 15 years, won his 16th District legislative seat for a second full term November 4, 2009 and was selected by his peers to become Chairman of The Board of Legislators and was sworn in on January 4, 2010. He began his Board of Legislators term with 81% of the vote in a special election held on February 13, 2007 and his first full term election in November 2007. He has served as Chair of Government Operations, Chair of Internal Controls and Procedures, Vice-Chair of Budget & Appropriations, Public Works, Parks, Labor and Transportation. Ken has served on the Committees on Community Services; Public Safety & Security; Generational, Cultural and Ethnic Diversity; and Legislation. Ken recently served as Chairman of the Yonkers Democratic Committee and is Vice-Chairman of the Black Democrats of Westchester. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Westchester County Democratic Committee for several years.

A familiar face on Cablevision News since 1998, Ken appeared regularly as the Democratic political analyst on News 12 Westchester on the Newsmakers and Point/Counterpoint programs. He has also made guest appearances on CNN, BET, WABC, WCBS, and WNBC. As comfortable behind the camera as in front of it, Ken was executive producer and host of Insights & Updates, a public access cable show discussing issues relevant to the African-American community in Yonkers.

Ken's many years of public and community service includes service on the boards of many distinguished community groups and organizations such as the Greyston Foundation; the United Way; the Westchester County District Attorney's Community Advisory Committee; Westchester County Crimestoppers; the Community Planning Council of Yonkers. He was President for over five years of the Yonkers Branch of the NAACP and today continues to serve on the organization's Executive Committee. He is the current President of the Yonkers Community Action Program.

Ken, a proud former boy scout and Senior Patrol Leader of Boy Scout Troop 32, is an alumnus of Fordham Preparatory School and Iona College, where he earned a B.S. in Computer Science and Information Systems. After a 20-year career in the telecommunications field, he is now co-owner/broker of ERA Gem Realty in Yonkers.

Ken and his wife, Deborah Hudson-Jenkins, have resided in Yonkers since they were married in 1982 and have three children Alana, Jamal, and Terrell.