The curtain has closed on an era in Rye politics as Mayor Josh Cohn and Deputy Mayor Julie Souza took their final bows after eight years steering city government.
Their terms, along with Councilman Bill Henderson, expired as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Cohn, first elected in a landslide win in 2017 as a political newcomer and retired lawyer, led the city through eight years of challenges, including navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
At his final City Council meeting, Cohn, the onetime Democrat who no longer is affiliated with the local party, took roughly 30 minutes to reflect on his tenure — framing the city’s successes as a “team effort.”
“I often said it when first running for office, and I meant it, and tried to live by it. I’m not now, nor have I ever been a politician,” he said. “That has worked well, and then sometimes profoundly not.
”Here I find myself wishing to do something politicianish, or maybe it’s just human. That is, to close out with a retelling of some of the things that went well — with a partially repressed minor in things that went not so well.”
He addressed a wide range of issues during his time in office, including zoning and development, flooding and storm preparedness, and public safety, he said — the 2026 budget will add one firefighter and one police officer to meet staffing needs.
He regularly spoke about his failed efforts to update the city’s code of ethics, and his final message was no different. During his last weeks in office, Cohn once more proposed hiring a municipal ethics lawyer to review it, but it was again shot down by the council majority.
The lack of movement over updating the ethics code — stemming from a tree-cutting controversy in 2023 that led the ethics board to admonish the Cohn, Souza, and then council members Carolina Johnson and Ben Stacks — marked Cohn’s biggest defeat.
This fall, he took the unusual step of personally hiring lawyer Steven Leventhal to conduct an informal review.
“We now start to know what we should. It’s crystal clear, it’s not a jump ball,” he said. “But on the down side, where are the ethics in a board and its supporters that can’t acknowledge their errors?”
He moved on to discuss improvements at Nursery Field, the city’s capital program, roads, the boat basin, environmental initiatives, labor contracts, cell towers, quality-of-life projects — and the city’s well-regarded response to COVID-19.
“Rye residents confronted it together in many ways, from the Love Rye campaign to the hand sewn masks,” he recalled.
Residents and former elected officials praised the outgoing mayor and council members, highlighting their accomplishments and dedication to the city.
Henderson and Souza also said their goodbyes, marking the end of their respective eight- and four-year terms. The Dec. 17 City Council meeting served as both a farewell and a moment of reflection on a period of significant growth and challenges for Rye.
Henderson, a Republican who lost in a run for mayor in November, thanked Souza and Cohn for their eight years of service. He also thanked his family for supporting what he called his “late in life” political career and expressed appreciation for the city employees who keep the city running.
He wished the new incoming City Council well.
“Your success will be Rye’s success,” Henderson said.
Mayor-elect Josh Nathan, who has since been sworn into office, thanked the outgoing council members for their service to the city, but saved the highest praise for Henderson — calling him a “terrific partner in governance.”
“You are the embodiment of integrity,” Nathan told his bipartisan colleague. “I will be better at what I do because of my friendship and knowing you, and the city will be better for that as well.”
A longtime ally and friend of Cohn, Souza served on the council for eight years, a tenure marked by dedication and perseverance.
“Thank you to the Rye community for electing me to serve you. I tried to do it with thoughtfulness, with diligence, consideration, and for the times I fell short, I apologize,” Souza said emotionally. “I can tell you that my intent was always good.”
She praised the city’s many committees, commissions, and volunteers.
“My fellow council members, thank you for your service. This is hard,” she said. “People see this — they don’t see everything behind.”
Souza called Cohn a “very good man” and said he was “dogged in defending what you believe.”
“As a citizen of Rye, I am so grateful that you have been at the helm for eight years, and as Julie, I’m very grateful you are my friend,” she said to him.
Nathan, who was inaugurated on Sunday, praised Cohn and Souza for their service and said he hopes “when you walk around Rye you take pride in the work that you’ve done and you feel joy in our community, knowing how much you were a part of it.
“That will endure for many, many years to come.”
Each of the departing elected officials received an honorary Rye street sign, an honorary shield from the Rye PD police, a sweater, and several other going away items.
“Josh, Julie and Bill: The work goes on from here,” Nathan said. “You have laid an amazing foundation on top of the councils and mayors before you, and it’s our job to carry on and continue the good work.”
