PORT CHESTER, NY – Joan Grangenois-Thomas, who is serving in her second term as a trustee for the Village of Port Chester, was appointed Deputy Mayor during the reorganization meeting held on Tuesday, April 4. In a vote of 5-1, Grangenois-Thomas became the first Black woman to be appointed Deputy Mayor. Mayor Luis Marino, the village’s first Latino mayor, nominated her. She will serve at the pleasure of the mayor, who serves a two year term. Marino was re-elected for his second term in the recent March election. The village had been without a deputy mayor since Marino was first elected in 2021. Among other duties, the deputy mayor will preside over official meetings when the mayor is not available. “I am excited and grateful for the opportunity and the confidence the mayor has in me,” said Grangenois-Thomas. “There’s so much we can accomplish and I look forward to doing my part,” she said.
Joan Grangenois-Thomas, the first woman of color and only the second woman in almost 20 years to serve on the Port Chester Board of Trustees. Port Chester had its first female mayor when Christine Korff was elected in 1995. Grangenois-Thomas is a Port Chester resident, community activist and leader of the grassroots group Sustainable Port Chester. A regular figure at village Board of Trustees meetings, Grangenois-Thomas took an early role in the village’s search for a new electoral system, pushing for an open and inclusive process. She was elected to lead the Advisory Resident Voting Committee convened by the village to recommend an electoral system.
Grangenois-Thomas is the founder of the Westchester firm JGT Public Relations. She started the public relations firm in 2010 with the idea of helping nonprofit organizations and public interest groups gain attention for important issues such as child welfare and immigration.
Joan Grangenois-Thomas is one of the Black Women we spotlighted in our new book, Black Westchester Celebrates Black Women of Westchester.
