About Ed Day

Rockland County Executive

Rockland County Executive Ed Day was born in 1951 to Edwin and Jane Day in a housing project in Brooklyn. The eldest of three children, he graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. He then earned an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Kingsborough Community College in 1971 and further pursued his education at Pace University while working full time in sales.

Ed went on to join the NYPD in 1979, advancing to Lieutenant-Commander of Detectives, before retiring in 2000. He later became Baltimore's Chief of Detectives, overseeing executive command responsibility of the 3,200 member force and oversaw a $7 million budget of which he overhauled resulting in a 50% increased success rate for violent crime investigations and reducing overtime expenditures by +10%.

After having served as a volunteer on a variety of town committees, he realized he could better fix government from the inside and announced a run for Rockland County Legislature which he won in 2005. While serving on the legislature Day observed the poor fiscal decisions being made and the County of Rockland’s growing deficit, ultimately leading him to run and win the election becoming Rockland’s third County Executive in 2013.

But County Executive Day barely had time for a victory lap as he had to tackle the administrations daunting $138 million deficit.

Through his guidance, including disciplined budgeting and smart financial stewardship, County Executive Ed Day successfully eliminated the deficit, built up a healthy surplus, and transformed the County into one of the seven fiscally strongest counties statewide in only two terms.

In fact, the County of Rockland’s worst to first fiscal success continues, with strong “AA+” bond ratings despite unexpected crises like the pandemic which was projected to have a $107 million deficit on the administration and costs like pensions and insurance all increasing annually at significant levels.

In his current third term County Executive Day is focused on remaining cautious while bringing reprieve to the hardworking people of Rockland. Notable accomplishments in recent years include eliminating the Auto Registration Tax and the Energy Tax. The Energy Tax alone saved families $12 million annually, equivalent to an 8.4% County Property Tax cut.

He implemented a 2% County Property Tax cut in 2024, following zero County Property Tax increases in 2022 and 2023. He is additionally proposing to another 2% County Property Tax cut for 2025.

He reopened the Rockland County Office for People with Disabilities and invested in the County’s Open Space Acquisition Program. In 2023 alone, the County is on track to purchase and preserve +300 acres for only $4 million in County Capital Funds, thanks to utilizing ARPA funding and federal reimbursements. 

He also opened a new County Highway Facility, named Project of the Year by the New York State Society of Professional Engineers, and a state-of-the-art Fire Operations Building, which is the largest investment ever made at the Rockland County Fire Training Center to date.

While most governments spend carelessly and raise taxes to cover expenses, County Executive Ed Day firmly believes it is an administrations responsibility to utilize tax dollars efficiently by always looking for ways to offset costs. It is that methodology that has been a major factor behind the success of County Executive Day’s administration.

“We have an obligation to be better and lead by example, showing the right way a government should operate by keeping spending low, alleviating costs, and re-investing in our residents,” said County Executive Day at his Proposed 2025 Budget Announcement. “After all, a budget is not just about numbers… it’s about the families it impacts.”

Despite the strong fiscal standing of the administration, County Executive Day promises to continue honoring the pledge he made when he was first elected of being a respectful steward of County tax dollars. 

Outside of the office, County Executive Day is just as dedicated to the community. He's volunteered as a youth baseball, basketball, and football coach since the early 1990's. Seeing a need to better unite and represent his local community, he reconstituted and served as president of the Little Tor Neighborhood Association in 1997. Ed also grew involved in our schools, creating the PTA Child Personal Safety Course Pilot Project, a curriculum still in place today in the Clarkstown Central School District. He’s been honored as a Lifetime Member of the PTA and served as co-president of the Clarkstown North Football Fourth Quarter Club. In 2003, his dedication to the community was recognized when he earned the Rockland County Distinguished Service Award.

In his free time, he is often attending community events of all types along with his wife, Donna.