Kimberly King is a Commissioner at the Plymouth Massachusetts County Mosquito Control Project. Ms. King’s five year old daughter, Adreanna, died after acquiring Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) after being bitten by an infected mosquito in 2005. Ms. King has since become an advocate for mosquito control and educational awareness.

On July 9th 2013 Mrs. King traveled to Rye from her home in Massachusetts to inspect Hen Island and speak with local government officials about her findings. Ms. King publicly addressed the Rye City Council on the dangers of vector borne illnesses, the high vector borne exposure rate on Hen Island and how it affects the surrounding communities. Ms. King detailed the importance of the removal and remediation of the Hen Island’s primitive water collection systems and the lack of maintenance on the Island.

After Ms. King’s presentation, rather than contacting the Westchester County Health Department, Mayor Doug French contacted the Ms. King’s superiors in Massachusetts in effort to have her silenced in Westchester County.

Earlier that same day in a meeting with the Westchester County Health Department, Ms. King was advised by George Vaselekos (Westchester County’s Mosquito Control Supervisor) that Hen Island is a political mess and treated differently than other areas of the County.