Newly-elected Westchester County Legislator MaryJane Shimsky was sworn in this afternoon to take over the 12th Legislative District seat formerly held by Tom Abinanti. Abinanti was elected to the State Assembly for the seat formerly held by Shimsky's former boss, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky.

Shimsky, in addition to serving as a Community Liason for the former Assemblyman, is an attorney, a 15 year Hastings-on-Hudson resident, and a former Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's office Appeals Bureau. She also taught history at Marymount College in Tarrytown.

Said Shimsky, "I am honored to have been given the opportunity to serve my friends and neighbors within the 12th County Legislative District. We live in a time when the economy poses a number of challenges. We have a number of things to tackle, but we are going to make the best of a challenging situation. I'm optimistic and excited about the possibilities."

The 12th Legislative District consists of the villages of Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry,Hastings and Irvington, as well as parts of unincorporated Greenburgh, including Edgemont and most of Hartsdale.