Joe Rand Announces NY State Senate Bid; Nick Wolff to Take Seat on White Plains City Council

WHITE PLAINS—Two prominent and veteran Realtors in the region are making news in the political arena in the Hudson Valley. Earlier this week, Joe Rand, the Mayor of Nyack and Vice President of Innovation at Howard Hanna | Rand Realty, announced his bid for the New York State Senate. Next month, Nicholas “Nick” Wolff, an Associate Broker with Howard Hanna | Rand Realty in White Plains, will take his seat on the White Plains Common Council.

Rand, a Democrat, announced his candidacy on Dec. 8 for the 38th District seat of the New York State Senate, which covers sections of Rockland County. The 38th District is currently being represented by New York State Senator Bill Weber (R-C),

Rand has served on the Nyack Village Board since January 2021, and was elected in November 2023 for a two-year term as Mayor of the Village of Nyack and was re-elected last month. He is a native of Rockland who lives in Nyack with his wife Linie and their two children, Jake and Aurelia.

In announcing his candidacy, Rand stated, “I am a local mayor, where the job is solving problems and getting things done, not playing politics. I have also seen firsthand how not having a voice in the State Senate Majority holds our communities back. With our current Republican Minority representation, taxpayers are simply not getting the return on investment they deserve from Albany. I am running to be that Majority voice, to fight for affordability, protect our quality of life, and make sure Rockland families get the results they deserve.”

In the private sector, Rand helped grow Rockland's largest real estate brokerage into one of the most successful real estate companies in New York and one of the county’s largest employers, supporting more than 150 employees and 1,200 agents across the region.

Rand holds two degrees from Georgetown University and earned a Master’s degree from Stanford. His background includes service as a federal judicial clerk, litigation attorney and law professor.

In Westchester County, the affable and veteran Realtor Nicholas Wolff won election to the White Plains Common Council last month. The year 2026 will be a period of transition for White Plains as newly elected Mayor Justin Brasch takes over city leadership from Mayor Thomas Roach, who first took office in 2011. Roach was elected last month as Westchester County Clerk.

Wolff, a Democrat, is a lifelong White Plains resident, father of four and grandfather to five. He is a graduate of White Plains schools and a member of the White Plains High School Hall of Fame for Community Service.

A third-generation real estate broker, Wolff has spent more than five decades in the field, leading four top-producing companies with more than 150 agents. Before joining Howard Hanna | Rand Realty, Wolff was the President and CEO of Century 21 Wolff, a fourth-generation real estate company where he worked from 1969-2009.

He currently serves as Vice President of both the White Plains Housing Authority and the Business Improvement District. He sits on numerous community boards, including those of the White Plains Beautification Foundation, Thomas H. Slater Center, El Centro Hispano, the White Plains Library Foundation, Friends of White Plains Schools, Downtown Music at Grace Church, and the White Plains Rotary Club—where he is a past President and active member since 1980.

Among his many civic duties, Wolff co-chairs the Rotary Scholarship Committee, which awards over 20 scholarships annually to White Plains High School and Stepinac seniors. He volunteers with Ride Connect to help seniors get to medical appointments, mentors local youth through Grandpas United, and delivers food to dozens of households through the Theodore D. Young Community Center, the Salvation Army, El Centro Hispano, and Feeding Westchester.