One Party United
VOL. I NO. III APRIL 2006
YONKERS
REPUBLICAN
JOURNAL
City Committee Endorses Faso
From left: Chairman Zehy Jereis, Gubernatorial Candidate
John Faso, Councilman John Murtagh, 2nd Vice-Chair Alberto
Villate.
On
Wednesday, March 22nd at an afternoon press conference at
Yonkers Republican Headquarters, Chairman Zehy Jereis
announced the Yonkers City Republican Committee endorsement
of John Faso for Governor of New York State.
In
endorsing Mr. Faso, Zehy said that “John Faso knows
this state and understands the issues that concern everyday
New Yorkers. He has a solid record of real reform and
cutting taxes. Yonkers is the fourth largest city in New
York. John carried it four years ago and we will make sure
that he carries it again this year. The last thing we need
in the governor’s mansion is a limousine liberal from
Manhattan like Elliot Spitzer. That’s why we will
work tirelessly to elect John Faso as our next
governor.”
John Faso, addressing the crowd,
said, “New York State has to make some major changes
to be competitive in the future. To keep families and jobs
here we must reduce spending, enact broad-based tax cuts
and remove the self-imposed regulatory barriers to economic
growth and job creation. I am honored that the Yonkers
Republican Committee shares that vision.”
Jeanne Martinelli, Vice-Chair of the Committee,
said, “Yonkers is a city where concerns about
education are at the forefront for many who live here. I
believe that education will be a big priority in a Faso
Administration.”
See
Mayor Amicone's State of the City Address on Page
12
PAGE 1
EDITORIAL
WE
DON’T UNDERSTAND how Yonkers City Councilman Dennis
Robertson can sit as Chair of the City of Yonkers Real
Estate Committee.
Even
forgetting such revelations as the 8/13/04 Journal News
article about Mr. Robertson’s building maintenance
business picking up $250,000 in no-bid city contracts over
two years (an average of over $10,000 per month), we must
look at what’s going on today and the appearance of
impropriety and opportunity for abuse.
The Real
Estate Chair holds considerable power over proposed new
construction, such as the new waterfront project, as well
as additional/special usages for existing properties,
rezoning and conveyance of city-owned properties.
We have
been advised that Mr. Robertson’s company continues
to perform work for entities within Yonkers, most notably
Yonkers Raceway. In addition, we have been told that he
received an $84,000 contract with the IDA to study the ball
park development. If this is true, this is a clear conflict
of interest.
The Real
Estate Chair puts him in a position where there is a
conflict in any matter having to do with his customers.
More importantly, it creates a situation where businesses
looking for action from the Council might find it to their
advantage to retain Mr. Robertson’s company’s
services.
While we
do not suggest that a public official should be precluded
from operating a business as a cost of holding office, we
do believe that those holding office must avoid any
appearance of impropriety. In this case this means a choice
between public office and limiting business to clients
outside of the municipality.
Our
elected officials must openly and evenly represent us. The
opportunity to benefit financially as a result of such
representation must not be allowed.
Mr.
Robertson should immediately step down from the Real Estate
Committee and decide whether he wishes to continue as a
City Councilman or continue doing business with real estate
interests in the City of Yonkers.
Mr.
Robertson owes the residents of the City of Yonkers, the
people who elected him to office, a disclosure of all of
his business interests in this city, including a full list
of all Yonkers entities with which either he or his company
does business.
We
further believe that at this juncture it is appropriate for
him to advise the residents of the City of Yonkers as to
just what business transactions he has within the city, so
that our residents might judge the issue for
themselves.
It is
time for Mr. Robertson to step down.
All
material in this publication Copyright 2006 by Yonkers
Republican Journal 316 Warburton Ave. Yonkers NY
10701
914
426-4944 www.yonkersrepublicanjournal.com e-mail:
yonkersrepublicanjournal@gmail.com
Jim
Faulkner, Editor
PAGE
2
From
the desk of . . .
Senator
Nick
Spano
April
2006
Dear
Friends,
It
is with great pleasure and pride that I report on a number
of wonderful developments for our great City of
Yonkers.
The
state budget passed by the legislature includes a record
school aid increase of
$76 million dollars for
Yonkers, which will be used to educate our children and
ease the burden on our taxpayers. Additionally, our City is
slated to receive $24 million to fund important development
projects in our downtown;
for a total of $100 million dollars in state aid for
Yonkers.
I
made a commitment to the taxpayers of the city in October
of 2004, promising to deliver sustaining and recurring
revenue sources. What we did in this year’s budget
are results of that promise. Taxpayers
and students throughout Yonkers will benefit from this
record increase.
Equally
important, the legislature again passed an on-time New York
State budget, which affords our school districts and
municipalities with the financial information they need to
accurately craft their budgets for the new fiscal
year.
During
the state budget process, I fought hard to set the
right
priorities and
ensure accountability
and results for the
people of Yonkers and across New York State.
This
year’s budget includes the largest school aid
increase in state history; allocating
the necessary funding to ensure relief for our overburdened
taxpayers.
I also
voted in favor of smart investments in our state’s
infrastructure that will improve transportation to boost
our economy and create jobs. And I am pleased to report
that I voted to guarantee a renewed commitment to quality,
affordable health care for all New Yorkers.
It is
great to have an opportunity to share with you so many
positive developments for our City and its
taxpayers.
As
always, I am here to be of service so please do not
hesitate to call on me.
Best
Regards,
NICK
SPANO
PAGE 3
CITY NEEDS TO BENEFIT FULLY FROM DEVELOPMENT
by
Councilman
John Murtagh
Recently,
we were all greeted by the announcement of a proposal for
what will be the largest redevelopment project Yonkers has
ever seen. If built as currently proposed, the so-called
“Capelli” project will result in the
redevelopment of some five hundred acres on our waterfront,
through the downtown and up Nepperhan Avenue
Yonkers
needs smart development in order expand and stabilize its
tax base. However, development that brings little
significant new revenue to the City serves no purpose. For
too long the tax burden in the city has steadily shifted to
its residents and homeowners and away from big businesses
and commercial landlords. Development that does not reverse
this trend and bring tax relief is of no real benefit other
than to the developers.
Presently,
the City proposes to sell many acres of municipal land to
the Capelli team for $1.2 million an acre. Some Council
members, myself included, believe that the developers will
eventually reap a financial reward for greater than this
relatively modest land cost. The developers, of course,
argue that they are taking a risk with no guaranteed
return. For this reason, during negotiations, I proposed a
“development fee” structure whereby the land
would be sold at the $1.2 million dollar figure and the
developer would then pay a percentage fee upon closing of a
sale or lease on the back end. For example, the current
proposal is for over three hundred condominium units on the
waterfront. With condominiums near Getty Square currently
selling for over $300,00 a unit, an agreement that the
developer would pay a fixed percentage upon the sale of
each unit would bring a far more reasonable return to the
City while not adding any additional risk to the
developer.
After
our discussions, the City Council’s own consultant
has also suggested a similar plan, he calls it an
“earn out”, as a way of maximizing the return
to the City. In essence, the concept is a better return to
the City but no additional risk to the developer if the
project does not succeed.
Details
aside, the downtown development stands to benefit all
Yonkers residents, but only if done in the best interests
of the taxpayers and the community. For this reason I urge
all of you to become involved by attending Council
meetings, speaking out at the Public Hearings to come and
staying in contact with your City Council representative
for the latest information.
Councilman
Murtagh represents the Fifth Council District, and can be
reached at 377-6315.
PAGE
4
Council
Members Dee Barbato and John Murtagh
COUNCIL MEMBER DEE BARBATO CALLS UPON CITY’S CHARTER
REVISION COMMISSION TO CONSIDER CHANGES ON HOW TO FILL
VACANCIES ON THE CITY COUNCIL
(Yonkers,
NY – March 21, 2006) … Yonkers City
Councilwoman Dee Barbato (R-Dist. 6) believes that the City
Charter should be changed to include a new provision for a
special election in the event of a long-term vacancy on the
city council, as well a shift in appointment power from the
Mayor to the City Council for filling a short-term
vacancy.
Barbato
made her suggestions known to the city’s Charter
Revision Commission in a letter outlining her proposal,
citing that the recently enacted changes to the length of
city council member’s terms warrants such
revisions.
“As
it stand now, any vacancy that occurs on the city council,
regardless of how much time remains to complete that
particular term, finds the mayor having sole authority as
to who will be appointed to complete the term,”
explains Barbato. “When terms were but two
years long, you could argue that such an appointment would
be inconsequential in scope and duration. Now,
however, with four year terms, voters could quite possibly
find themselves with a representative that they did not
elect for a considerably longer period of time, especially
if the seat is vacated early on in the four year
term.”
Barbato
offers further that “if it is the legislative branch
that has the vacancy, it should be the prerogative of the
legislative branch to fill the vacancy if we are to hold
true to separate but equal branches of government in order
to maintain appropriate and necessary checks and
balances.”
Barbato
acknowledges that such changes to the City Charter would no
doubt require a public referendum on the ballot this
November as it would diminish the power of the
Mayor.
Barbato’s
proposal calls for a special election in the event that a
vacancy occurs on the city council more than seven months
prior to expiration of a member’s term of
office. If a vacancy occurs within seven months of
expiration of a member’s term, such vacancy
will be filled by an appointment of the majority of sitting
city council members of the same party affiliation as the
representative vacating the seat. Additionally, the
proposal state’s that the person accepting the
appointment cannot run for the seat in the next upcoming
election -- eliminating any advantage of incumbency -- and
that the appointee cannot be a candidate for any other
public office in an election to be held within the same
calendar year as his or her appointment.
In
support of her proposal, Barbato points to the Charter of
Westchester County, which has a similar provision for
special elections and has the County Board of
Legislator’s as the appointing body in the event of a
vacancy.
“I
strongly believe that what I’ve proposed would be the
fairest and most efficient way to handle issues regarding
vacancies to the city council should they occur, most
especially in light of four year, expanded terms.
I’m hopeful that the Charter Revision Commission will
see the merits of my proposal, and I look forward to their
careful consideration of the proposed changes,” said
Barbato.
PAGE
5
Civil
Confinement Progress Report
Legislative
Column by Assemblyman Mosiello
Since
June 27, 2005 the number of Level 3 (highest risk) sex
offenders that have been released into our communities is
currently at 239. While overwhelming pressure from the
public, state legislators and the governor has resulted in
the formation of a bipartisan joint conference committee to
resolve differences between different versions of the
legislation, it has unfortunately stalled. With every
day that passes without a tough civil confinement law, sex
offenders will continue to be released into our
communities.
The
rates of recidivism amongst these sex offenders are too
high to ignore. A state Division of Criminal Justice
Services study of re-arrest patterns of 5,200 Level 3 sex
offenders found that 11 percent, or 572, were rearrested
for committing new sex crimes within eight years of
appearing on the state Sex Offender Registry.
Protecting our children is a prime responsibility and as
the hearings drag on, dangerous sexual predators at risk of
re-offending continue to be released from prison and into
our communities.
The
Senate and Assembly versions of civil confinement
legislation differ in many ways. However, the
bill’s most glaring differences lies in the control
of these sexually violent predators. Under the
Senate’s proposal, a person determined to be a
sexually violent predator (after extensive evaluation and a
unanimous jury verdict), would be committed to a secure
mental facility for treatment until he or she no longer
poses a danger to society. The Assembly
Majority’s bill however, allows these dangerous
individuals, determined to have a mental abnormality and
likely to re-offend, to be released back into the community
under intensive parole supervision rather than be civilly
confined.
The
bill supported by Gov. Pataki, the Senate and my Republican
colleagues in the Assembly is much stronger and makes
eligible for civil confinement the more than 5,000 sex
offenders currently incarcerated. In addition, it allows
convictions by guilty pleas, has a more reasonable standard
to make more offenders eligible for confinement and
requires one jury determination. Unfortunately, the only
civil confinement legislation that made it to the floor of
the Assembly was the weaker bill and my Republican
colleagues and I voted for it in a bipartisan spirit with
hopes that the joint conference committee could hammer out
a tougher bill.
As
Assembly Democrats continue to delay the passage of a tough
law, an escalating number of Level 3 sex offenders are
being released back into our communities. As of March
6, there were 449 registered sex offenders living in
Westchester County that, along with those currently
incarcerated, would be virtually unaffected by Speaker
Silver’s civil confinement proposal. This is
simply unacceptable.
The time
is now to act on one of the most, if not the most,
important issue facing our state and pass a tough civil
confinement law that keeps the most dangerous sexually
violent predators confined and away from our
communities.
PAGE
6
Update
from County Legislator Bernice Spreckman
Grassroots
Senior Citizens Day is Monday, April
24th!
Dear
Friends,
I have
always had a strong belief in the power of grassroots
activism and the strong influence that individuals are able
to attain when they unite for a common cause. That is
why each year I make it a priority to bring a group of
dedicated seniors to our State’s Capital to lobby our
representatives for important senior initiatives.
On April
24th,
three busses from across Westchester County, and other
senior groups from throughout the state, will arrive in
Albany at 10:30 a.m. At this time, over 350 senior
citizens and grandparents will come together at the Empire
State Plaza Concourse and gather in meeting rooms 2-4 until
2:30 p.m.
We have
a packed agenda, which includes fighting for better access
and affordability of prescription drugs, discussing
amendments to the Medicare Part D drug plan, protecting the
EPIC program and expanding it to cover individuals with
disabilities, lobbying for bulk purchasing of prescription
drugs and advocating for long-term care insurance and
better home and community based services. As if that
is not enough, we will also be lobbying for grandparents
rights, surrogate decision making, transportation,
affordable housing and mental health issues.
It is
going to be an exciting and productive day. Senate
Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Senator Kemp Hannon, Chair
of the Senate Aging Committee, have confirmed as
speakers. I am certain that our dedicated Republican
colleagues, State Senator Nicholas Spano and State
Assemblyman Louis Mosiello, will also visit with us on this
important day.
The
busses are almost filled, but if you are really interested
in coming with us please call my office at 995-2815
immediately and make arrangements with Amanda
Modugno. The trip costs $6.00 which pays for the
round-trip bus ride and a boxed lunch. We will be
leaving at 7:00 AM from White Plains and locations in
Yonkers and Mt. Vernon.
As a
representative of the senior community, we hope to have
your continued support of our legislative
priorities.
Sincerely,
Bernice
Spreckman
County
Legislator, District 14
PAGE 7
FROM
THE MAYOR'S OFFICE
Fellow Republicans,
This has been an exciting month not only for
those of us working hard to serve you at City Hall, but for
people who are excited about the new optimism being felt in
neighborhoods around the city.
At the
beginning of March I had the honor of delivering my third
State of the City Address, which is available for you to
read in this newsletter. In it, I laid out a bold vision
for the future that will permanently solve our budget
problems by building our way out of financial crisis,
increase accountability at our Board of Education, and
focus on improving quality of life in our neighborhoods. My
administration will be working tirelessly to achieve this
ambitious agenda over the next year.
As we
are making great strides here at the city level, we
recently received a huge boost toward closing our budget
gap from our state representatives led by Senator Nick
Spano. With his and Assemblyman Mosiello’s help, our
city will have an additional $76 million in recurring state
aid that will be applied to next year’s budget. This
money will help educate our children, pay for police and
firemen, and pay for important projects throughout the
city.
Just this week, the $3.1 billion
development agreement for downtown and the waterfront that
I forged at the beginning of February was unanimously
approved by the City Council. I want to congratulate my
fellow Republicans on the Council, Dee Barbato, John
Murtagh and Liam McLaughlin, for joining me in supporting
this important vision for the future of our city. Over the
next six months we will see detailed plans for projects
that will infuse billions of dollars and thousands of jobs
into our economy. Just as important, these projects will
help us provide relief to property taxpayers by adding
millions to our tax base.
I also want to say
a word about an issue about which many of you are
concerned, illegal immigration. My office receives many
calls and letters from people who want me to do something
about the build up of day laborers in certain sections of
our city. I receive many other communications from people
urging me NOT to spend tax dollars on supporting illegal
immigrants. It is a tricky issue with people on both sides,
but one that we cannot ignore.
As mayor, it
is my duty to uphold the law, but also to protect the
quality of life in our neighborhoods. Accordingly, we have
secured grant money that will help us secure a site at
which day laborers will be issued proper papers so they can
begin paying taxes and given help so they can learn to
speak English. Once the site is in place, we will implement
measures to move day laborers off city streets. This site
will be at NO COST to Yonkers taxpayers and will help us
address an issue of concern to many of our residents.
As always, I encourage your input and
feedback on these and other important issues. Please
contact me though the city’s website at
CityofYonkers.com. I look forward to seeing you at future
ward meetings and at events around the city. Please come up
and say hello!
Sincerely,
Phil Amicone
Mayor
Page
8
INFORMATION
for
HOMEOWNERS
and RENTERS
FROM
SENATOR NICK SPANO
~
Serving Westchester County~
INFORMATION
OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO HOMEOWNERS
THE STAR
PROGRAM
The STAR
Program is a New York State School Tax Relief Program that
provides a partial tax exemption from school property taxes
to New Yorkers who own and live in their one, two or three
family home, condo, co-op, manufactured home or farm
dwelling.
STAR
applies to a primary residence only.
BASIC
STAR
A Basic
STAR exemption is available regardless of the owners' age
or incomes --- as long as it is occupied by the owner as
his/her primary residence.
Basic
STAR provides for an exemption of the first $30,000 of the
full value of a home --- from SCHOOL TAXES (only).
The
BASIC STAR application is available from your LOCAL
assessor or on line
at
http://www.orps.state.ny.us/star/star_forms.cfm.
(NOTE: Since the deadline for filing the Basic STAR
application varies, be sure to contact your LOCAL assessor
to obtain this important date. A listing of assessors can
be found in your local phone book's 'blue page'
section.)
Basic
STAR exemption applications are filed at the office of the
LOCAL property assessor. Although your LOCAL assessor is
required to notify you if your application has been denied,
it is suggested that you send your application to your
LOCAL assessor by certified mail, registered receipt
requested or, if you are hand delivering the application,
that you request a receipt. Since Basic STAR is granted
regardless of income, once the Basic STAR has been granted,
applicants do not have to refill their application, unless
there is a change in primary residence.
ENHANCED
STAR
An
Enhanced STAR exemption is available for primary residences
of individuals who are 65 years of age or older, whose
income does not exceed the income standard. If the primary
residence is owned jointly by a husband and wife, or by
siblings only one of them has to be 65 years of age or
older to qualify for the Enhanced STAR exemption. Proof of
age (such as a birth or baptismal certificate, hospital
birth record affidavit of age from the Social Security
Administration, marriage record or passport) --- for one of
the owners --- is required the first time that you apply
for an Enhanced STAR exemption.
For the
purposes of the Enhanced STAR exemption, income is defined
as: the ''adjusted gross income'' (AGI) as reported on the
applicant's federal or state income tax return, less the
''taxable amount'' of total distributions from individual
retirement accounts or individual retirement
annuities.
To
qualify for the Enhanced STAR the combined income of all
owners and any owner's spouse who resides on the premises
may not exceed the income standard for the applicable
income tax year. The current income standard is
$66,050.
The
Enhanced STAR application is available from your LOCAL
assessor or on line at
http://www.orps.state.ny.us/star/star_forms.cfm.
(NOTE: Since the deadline for filing the Enhanced STAR
application varies, be sure to contact your LOCAL assessor
to obtain this important date. A listing of assessors can
be found in your local phone book's 'blue page'
section.)
Since
the Enhanced STAR exemption depends on two factors --- age
and the verifiable income of all of the owners of the
property as well as for any owner's spouse who resides on
the premises --- the necessary information may be provided
in either of the following two ways:
-
Traditional Method: Submit a copy of your income tax
return(s) for the appropriate income tax year to your LOCAL
property assessor's office with your STAR application by
the application deadline each year.
-
Enhanced STAR Income Verification Program: Supply your
Social Security Number(s) and an authorize the New York
State Department of Taxation and Finance to verify your
income eligibility each year. If you choose this option,
you do not need to submit an application and copy of your
tax return(s) to your LOCAL property assessor each year. To
use the Enhanced STAR Income Verification Program, in the
initial year you must complete from RP-425IVP (available
from your LOCAL property assessor or on the website listed
above) and submit it to your LOCAL property assessor along
with the traditional STAR application and the necessary
income tax return(s) by the application deadline.
Enhanced
STAR exemption applications are filed at the office of the
LOCAL property assessor. Although your LOCAL assessor is
required to notify you if your application has been denied,
it is suggested that you send your application to your
LOCAL assessor by certified mail, registered receipt
requested or, if you are hand delivering the application,
that you request a receipt.
MISCELLANEOUS
INFORMATION ABOUT STAR:
Both the
Basic STAR and the Enhanced STAR exemptions only apply to
SCHOOL TAXES.
The STAR
exemption applies to your primary residence only. If you
maintain two residences there are a number of factors may
be used to determine whether a property is your primary
residence --- voting, vehicle registration, length of time
spent at each residence. Your LOCAL property assessor may
ask you to provide proof of residence at the time of your
initial STAR application and on other occasions thereafter
to verify that the property is still your primary
residence.
If you
buy a new home, your STAR exemption is NOT transferred
automatically. You need to apply for the exemption on your
new primary residence. Note: depending on the location of
your new residence, the filing deadline may be
different.
In the
event of the death of a spouse, the surviving spouse can
retain an existing Enhanced STAR exemption if he/she is at
least 62 years of age as of December 31 of the year in
which the exemption will continue. If the surviving spouse
is not at least 62 years of age he/she may receive the
Basic STAR exemption.
There
are a number of places where you may obtain more detailed
information about New York State's STAR exemption program.
Information may be obtained from your LOCAL property
assessor, the County Director of Real Property Tax Services
or by visiting the following website ---
http://www.orps.state.ny.us/star.
PAGE 9
INFORMATION
OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO RENTERS
Rent
Control:
Rent
Control applies to residential buildings in certain
municipalities that constructed before February 1947. In
addition, for a particular apartment to be 'rent
controlled' the tenant must have been continuously living
in that particular apartment since before July 1, 1971.
Once any 'rent controlled' apartment becomes vacated, it is
either removed from all regulations or becomes 'rent
stabilized'.
Rent
Control limits the rent that an owner may charge for any
apartment and restricts the right of any owner to evict
'rent controlled' tenant. The amount of rent that may be
charged is set and adjusted by the State Division of
Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) based on a
determination of what it costs the owner to operate the
building plus a reasonable profit.
Rent
Stabilization:
Rent
Stabilization applies to non-rent controlled apartments in
buildings of 6 or more units that were built prior to
January 1, 1974.
Rent
Stabilization places limitations on the amount of rent that
an owner may charge a tenant and also provides the tenant
with other protections -- including the provision of
required services by the owner, the right to lease renewal
and a limitation of eviction except on grounds provided by
law.
At the
tenant's choice, leases may be renewed for a term of one or
two years.
Upon a
determination that a tenant's rights were violated, DHCR
can reduce the rent and levy civil penalties against the
building owner. DHCR may also reduce rents if an owner does
not maintain required services.
Westchester
County Rent Guidelines Board:
Once a
year, the Westchester Rent Guidelines Board is charged with
the responsibility of setting the maximum allowable rates
for rent increases in rent stabilized apartments. The new
guideline rates are effective on stabilized apartment
leases beginning on or after the 1st of October of each
year.
Rent
Overcharges:
If DHCR
determines that a tenant has been overcharged by his
landlord, the owner may be ordered to refund the excess
rent. If the DHCR finds that the owner has willfully
overcharged a tenant, the landlord may be subject to an
assessment of treble damages --- payable to the tenant.
Tenants in rent controlled or rent stabilized apartments
that believe that they are being overcharged should contact
the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR)
directly.
Rent
Reductions:
If an
owner fails to provide required or essential services or
make necessary repairs (either to an individual apartment
or to the entire building), rents may be reduced by the
DHCR. (The lack of heat or hot water, unsanitary common
areas such as the lobby or halls, and broken door locks are
examples of conditions that may warrant a rent
reduction.)
Harassment:
Since
the law protects rent regulated tenants from harassment,
owners found guilty of intentional actions to force a
tenant to vacate an apartment can be denied decontrol and
lawful rent increases. In addition, such ownersare subject
to civil penalties.
Rent
Office Services:
A DHCR
maintains a District Rent Office at 75 South Broadway,
Suite 200, White Plains, New York. The telephone number for
the District Rent Office is 914-948-4434. The Rent Office
provides assistance to tenants of rent regulated apartments
as well as to small building owners.
At this
location various forms and applications are available as
well as assistance in filling them out. In addition, DHCR
will process tenant complaints and owner applications on
site.
Additional
Information:
For
assistance or further information you can call the State
Division of Housing and Community Renewal's 'rent
information hotline', toll-free at
1-866-275-3427
or visit their website at
www.dhcr.state.ny.us.
<><><><><>
For
up-to-date information on a number of timely topics visit
my website at
www.senatorspano.com.
If I can
be of any assistance to you, contact my office by e-mail
through the website or by calling 914-959-5194.
PAGE 10
REPUBLICAN
ELECTED OFFICIALS
SEN.
NICHOLAS SPANO
ALBANY
OFFICE
Room 509
Legislative Office Building
Albany
NY 12247
518
455-2231
WESTCHESTER
OFFICE
1
Executive Boulevard
Yonkers
NY 10701
914
969-5194
spano@senate.state.ny.us
www.senatorspano.com
ASS.
LOUIS MOSIELLO
ALBANY
OFFICE
431
Legislative Office Building
Albany
NY 12248
518
455-3662
YONKERS
OFFICE
35 E.
Grassy Sprain Rd. 4th Floor
Yonkers
NY 10701
914
779-8805
mosiell@assembly.state.ny.us
www.loumosiello.com
County
Legislators
Bernice
Spreckman
County
Board of Legislators
800
Michaelian Office Building
148
Martine Avenue
914
995-2815
amme@westchestergov.com
Gordon
A. Burrows
County
Board of Legislators
800
Michaelian Office Building
148
Martine Avenue
914
995-6554
sam9@westchestergov.com
Mayor
Philip A. Amicone
Mayor’s
Office
2nd
Floor
40
South Broadway
Yonkers
NY 10701
914
377-6300
cityhall@cityofyonkers.com
YONKERS
CITY COUNCIL
John
Murtagh
City
Council
Room
407
Yonkers
NY 10701
Off. 914
377-6315 Home 377-3555
johnmurtagh@cityofyonkers.com
Dee
Barbato
City
Council
Room
407
Yonkers
NY 10701
Off.
914 377-6316 Home 377-3006
deebarbato@cityofyonkers.com
Liam
McLaughlin
City
Council
Room
407
40 South
Broadway
Yonkers
NY 10701
Off. 914
377-6314 Home 377-3004
liammclaughlin@cityofyonkers.com
PAGE
11
YONKERS
REPUBLICAN CITY COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN
ZEHY
JEREIS
914
774-7571
VICE-CHAIR
JEANNE
MARTINELLI
2ND
VICE-CHAIR
ALBERTO
VILLATE
914
844-5086 - Cell
avillate@gmail.cim
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
Richard
Hoffman
914
924-8861
SECRETARY
RITA
JEWELL
TREASURER
KEVIN
DEIERLEIN
WARD
LEADERS AND CO-LEADERS
1st
Ward
Elizabeth
Hemingway
Larry
Sykes
2nd
Ward
Bernadette
Lawler
3rd
Ward
Jim
Faulkner
316
Warburton Ave.
Yonkers
NY 10701
914
426-4944
jimfaulkner3@mac.com
web
site
www.yonkers3rdward.us
Cicely
Greaves-Vega
4th
Ward
Louis
Arezeiga
Abraham
Hattar
5th
Ward
Henry
Sershen
Helen
Calabrese
6th
Ward
Michael
Ramondelli
Sheila
Tuohy
7th
Ward
Susan
Salem
Gilbert
Balezentis
8th
Ward
Mike
Valenti
web
site
www.8thwardgop.org
Steve
Wilgermein
9th
Ward
Justin
Tubiolo
Vincent
Volino
10th
Ward
Rich
Barbato
Stan
Alexander
11th
Ward
John
Murtagh
Sandra
Capuano
12th
Ward
Geri
Esposito
914
649-7359 Cell
www.yonkers12thward.org
Bernadette
McLaughlin
PAGE 12
Yonkers
State of the City Address
Delivered 3/1/06 by Mayor
Philip A. Amicone
THE
MESSAGE:
Thank you all for that kind
welcome.
Council President, members of the City
Council, honorable members of the judiciary, distinguished
guests and fellow citizens of the City of Yonkers.
It's no secret that in the past year you and I have had
some honest and open differences. But our past differences
should not keep us from joining hands in bipartisan
cooperation to embrace the new optimism that has enveloped
Yonkers.
Many of you know that I'm an engineer by trade, not a
politician. So in these ceremonial settings I always feel a
little out of my element. But no matter what path in life
we may have taken to this point, tonight in Yonkers we all
have reason to be excited about our future.
I am here to talk about the state of our city and I am
pleased to report that, together, we have made tremendous
progress since I first spoke from this rostrum two years
ago. Tonight I will share with you a vision for Yonkers
that lends great hope that this progress will
continue well into the future.
Before I do there is a new face at this place of honor
tonight. To the newest member of this chamber, Council
President Chuck Lesnick, please join me in extending a warm
welcome. Chuck, together we have much work to do, but we
gave you a parking space to make it worth your while.
Let me also congratulate Councilwoman Pat McDow on her new
post as the Council's Majority Leader. Pat, this new title
confers the great honor of sitting one seat closer to me as
I deliver this address.
And to the rest of the Council, Minority Leader Liam
McLaughlin, Council Members Dennis Robertson, Dee Barbato,
John Murtagh and Sandy Annabi, let me say I look forward to
working closely with you to continue the progress we've
already begun and to meet head-on the challenges that
define the future course of our city.
As we gather in this chamber tonight, there's a
renewed energy and vitality all across our city. You can
see it on the faces of our business and home owners. You
can feel it on the streets of downtown and in the
neighborhoods. Up and down the waterfront and along our
many hillsides people are moving to Yonkers at a rate not
seen in generations. We are a city on the cusp of a grand
renaissance. We are doing what's right for our city.
Yonkers is moving forward, with great hope and pride,
growing stronger every day.
Take a look around; the transformation has already started.
We are beginning to realize the Yonkers we have envisioned
for so long-a thriving city with a landscape as rich and
diverse as our people.
In the last two years our economy has grown by more than a
billion dollars-growth that is making a real difference for
the people of our city. More people have gained employment
in Yonkers than in any big city in New York. We are proud
to be number one in job growth and in total employment
because we've made "doing business" the new business of
Yonkers.
This new attitude is paying off. Projects like the Hyatt
Classic Residence, Hudson Park and the Austin Avenue stores
are generating more than ten million dollars a year in new
tax revenue. This money is helping to educate our children,
pave our roads and build our parks.
Now, after more than three centuries, we stand poised to
take the next great step forward in the chronicle of our
city. We will not allow Yonkers to take second place to
White Plains or New Rochelle when it comes to positive
growth for our city. As we embark on this leg of history we
must confront the single biggest challenge facing Yonkers,
ensuring a balanced budget that meets the needs of all our
residents, most importantly for the 25,000 students in the
Yonkers Public School System.
This is a chronic challenge that has plagued our city for
decades, the specter of an untenable choice: face either
huge tax increases or draconian cuts in services.
Each year we extend the perpetual open hand to Albany
seeking our fair share of education funding. But in spite
of the best efforts of our state delegation we always fall
short. This leaves our city and school system to balance
budgets on the backs of homeowners who already pay more
than their fair share of property taxes.
We are
losing forty million dollars in next year's budget because
state payments on the settlement of our desegregation
lawsuit will expire. This, combined with the loss of other
revenues and the same rising costs of energy, materials and
labor that confront business and home owners across the
country, leaves us with a projected deficit of $100 million
dollars for the 2006 - 2007 budget year.
This is simply unacceptable for a city that's poised for
greatness. Our single greatest task is to end the cycle of
budget deficits for good.
We in Yonkers face many of the same challenges as other big
cities do across the state-aging infrastructure, change in
the direction of industry, public schools that are under
funded-all of which have contributed to our budget
problems. But what makes us different from Buffalo or
Rochester or Syracuse is that we have already begun to
build our way out of our financial crisis.
To permanently solve the budget crisis in Yonkers, we must
wholly commit to growing our economy on a grand scale. We
cannot capitulate and become satisfied with incremental
progress. That's not what great cities do. Decisive action
and prospective planning are essential to place our city on
firm financial footing for the future.
We have forged a bold new development plan that is broader
and more ambitious than any our city has ever seen. More
than three billion dollars of development that will include
inviting commercial spaces with new stores and restaurants,
homes and apartments that welcome people of all incomes,
vast public spaces that feature our natural resources, an
open waterfront that extends for miles along the Hudson,
and, of course, a park for America's most beloved pastime
right in the middle of it all.
Last month I submitted a Master Developer Agreement to the
City Council. While the Council will perform its due
diligence, we must move expeditiously. This agreement marks
a giant step forward in the history of Yonkers, for which
the people of our city have waited long enough.
The centerpiece of our redevelopment plans-the Gateway
Center on the former Chicken Island site-has already
demonstrated how public involvement can make a better
project.
The scope of this plan will mean change for many. We
understand that change, in and of itself, gives pause to
some who wonder if they'll be left adrift in the wake of
progress. Let me also say a word to the business owners
downtown who have weathered the hard times of the past.
There will be opportunities for everyone as we move
forward. This is your chance to be part of an expanded and
thriving Yonkers. That is why we have, and will, ensure
public involvement every step of the way.
The Gateway Center is only part of a grander plan for the
entire city. It includes the $100 million renovation of the
Cross County Shopping Center, the new Casino at Yonkers
Raceway, the continued private investment of millions of
dollars along our Central Avenue business corridor, and the
$600 million Ridge Hill Village project.
Private investment at Ridge Hill and through other projects
across our city will provide thousands of jobs to our
residents, infuse billions into our economy and tens of
millions of dollars in tax revenue to our city.
Moreover, building up our city will mean that our
budgets will no longer be balanced solely on the backs of
homeowners. Every two and a half million dollars of tax
revenue received as a result of redevelopment means one
percent less in property taxes we have to collect from you.
Our redevelopment plan will not only provide a broad and
permanent base for the future of our city and school
budgets, but will also provide meaningful relief to
property taxpayers across Yonkers.
Make no mistake; Yonkers is embarking on a grand
renaissance. We are permanently build our way into
financial solvency. But a renaissance takes time and we
must be patient as we work hard to achieve our goal. This
year we have much work to do to close the projected budget
gap and we begin tonight.
Balancing the budget
begins right here, within the walls of City Hall. We
perform vital services on behalf of our residents through
our city departments. But no department or service escapes
its fundamental responsibility to the public tax dollars
that support it. Accordingly every department has been
instructed to do more with less.
Financial hardship is being shared by all. Many unions have
been operating for several years without new contracts.
Management and non-represented employees have also gone
without raises. We will continue to negotiate with the
union leadership to work out fair and reasonable contracts.
In the meantime, to union members who have waited many
months for a resolution, I extend my gratitude for your
dedicated service and ask you to continue to bear with all
of us during this difficult period.
At my request, the Inspector General's office has begun an
extensive review of several city departments with an eye
toward trimming costs in this year's budget. We have
eliminated dozens of vacant positions and I have ordered a
hiring freeze of all non-essential positions. Our
purchasing department now conducts the majority of its
transactions with vendors electronically and has joined an
online consortium of municipal agencies across the state
that allows Yonkers access to more competitive public
bidding, saving our taxpayers money.
In the coming year we will make further strides to rein in
spending and restructure operating costs. We are presently
conducting the most comprehensive audit in the history of
the school system. We will release the final results of
that audit later this month. Though it is not yet complete,
the audit has revealed a sluggish, paper-intensive
bureaucracy with a troubling lack of financial controls.
This system has failed to modernize over many years and is
costing taxpayers more than it should.
We must not allow these problems to become those of the
next generation of Yonkers school children. My
administration is leading the effort to bring our school
administrative system into the 21st century. I have asked
the Superintendent to begin immediately implementing new
procedures that are to be recommended by the auditors.
The City Council will soon receive the first phase of a
plan that will begin the consolidation of support services
for the city and school district. This transition will be
carried out on a strict timetable to be fully implemented
over the next year.
Despite our many challenges, I assure you there will be a
balanced budget this year, just as there has been each year
of my administration.
The days of fiscal gimmickry are over. We will have a
budget that passes the test of public scrutiny, one that
the State Comptroller certifies and one that does not
permit the threat of a financial control board to hang over
tax payers.
The budget problems we are overcoming are the product of
tides that have swept the city's landscape for decades. We
stand here tonight, the inheritors of a challenge, all of
us having a role in solving this budget crisis. We all have
a stake in the future of a financially solvent Yonkers.
That is why I have been aggressively pursuing active
partnerships with the governor, the state legislature and
the comptroller, as well as our federal representatives.
I'd like to recognize Senator Spano who joins us here
tonight.
I have made many trips to the state capitol this year.
Together with our state delegation, we are demonstrating
how our city is building its way back. Some commitments
have been made, but there is much more to do. Albany has a
duty-an obligation-to respond to the message our delegation
has delivered.
We at the city level will not abandon
our responsibility to permanently solve Yonkers' budget
challenge. The state must invest in Yonkers just as we have
invested in ourselves.
Here in Yonkers, there will always be differences and
debate. But even our fiercest debates and widest
differences of opinions need not be conducted with anger or
be allowed to deteriorate into partisan bickering. Let us
pledge that we will confront important issues with respect
and goodwill toward one another. I assure you: I will do my
part.
Yonkers is unique because of the quality and character of
our people. Nowhere else will you find a city so densely
populated, so diverse and yet so attuned to the quaintness
of a small town life. In corner delis and neighborhood
restaurants across our city, we know each other's
names… and often each other's business.
We're
a city of immigrants and their descendants-hard working,
moral people who know the value of a day's work lies in the
promise it brings to our children. Even as we grow to meet
the challenges of tomorrow, Yonkers will always be a place
where we hold people to their handshakes and their word. We
the elected officials of the people must do the same.
The men and women who serve the people of our city are
ethical and honest. They're mindful of the trust placed
upon them by the taxpayers. They pave our streets and keep
our parks clean. They put out fires and plow our streets.
They teach our children at school and keep us safe at home.
Nowhere can you find finer public servants.
There will always be a few individuals who are unable to
live up to the high standards of service set by the people
of Yonkers. We have learned that responsibility does not
inherently follow power. This is a human problem-not a
Yonkers one. And as long as I'm mayor, I will not allow it
to become a Yonkers problem.
I stood here last year
and vowed to have a new and stronger code of ethics in
place by 2006. We did it. Now we have an ethics law that is
tougher and more comprehensive than any in the country.
I want to thank the Charter Revision Commission for its
many months of diligent work and the voters who approved
the new code overwhelmingly last November.
I want to thank the many Yonkers residents who responded to
our call and volunteered to serve on the new Board of
Ethics. The outpouring of citizen involvement was
inspirational. And I'd like to recognize those members of
the Board of Ethics who are here tonight: Earl Headley,
Helen Henkel and Fred Buhler. Thank you all for your
service.
We have also acted to head off any future problems. Our new
code of ethics is a nationwide model for government
accountability. It is both an enforcement and educational
tool. We have designed it to instruct public employees to
recognize conflicts of interest and avoid them before they
arise.
Our ethics code along with decent and
hard-working public servants is ensuring a new and lasting
era of accountability in Yonkers.
Transparency is the currency of an open system of
governance. In 2006 we will continue to make further
strides to transform city government into a more
transparent and accessible center for public information
and services. This month we will begin implementation of
Yonkers E-Government, a project that will remake all
subsidiary city websites into a single, easy to navigate
and simple to understand gateway for information. Soon our
residents will be able to sign up for e-mail updates,
specific to their individual neighborhoods, about parks
programs, services changes, calendar updates, and a host of
other city services. We will open an online document bank
where residents will be able to scan and download a litany
of public documents. An e-procurement system will allow
companies large and small to bid on public projects. An
online emergency operations center will instantly provide
our citizens with crucial information during emergencies.
For those of you who have never used a computer-and don't
care to either, we have also begun the procurement process
for a 311 phone information system modeled after the widely
successful 311 system in New York City. Here residents will
be able to receive much of the same information we make
available online including safety notices, traffic updates,
school closings, parking advisories, and much, much more.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a true Yonkers system unless
people were able to tell us exactly what's on their minds.
So 311 will also be interactive. When you call you'll speak
with a real person who will be able to help you with your
problem.
Last year I began an Open Government Initiative to bring
City Hall into neighborhoods across Yonkers. In town hall
meetings throughout the city people took the opportunity,
for the first time in a long time, to tell us face to face
what problems their neighborhood are facing. We listened,
and then we acted. This program has been a huge success and
is paying dividends of public confidence to the city. This
year I will expand my Open Government Initiative, holding
forums on important community issues and providing even
greater opportunity for public input.
Accountability is my responsibility to the people.
Accountability, transparency, openness-honored principles
that should not be reserved solely for those of us who work
at City Hall. We must apply these principles to our
education system as well.
Accountability is the absolute right of parents who entrust
their children's education to our public schools.
Accountability is the duty of every administrator, teacher
and counselor who provide an education for our children.
Accountability is the responsibility of public officials to
ensure that the educational system is safe, sound and
solvent.
The best way to ensure an education system that is
accountable to the people is to put that system in the
hands of the people's elected representatives.
After the City Council adopts a budget, I will submit the
structure of a new Department of Education and timetable
for the transition. My plan will have a system of checks
and balances that will ensure accountability to the people
of Yonkers through the mayor and the City Council. We will
encourage citizen participation throughout the process.
We are doing this the right way so it is taking some time.
In the past hasty and incomplete action has led to the
demise of important projects. Accountability through a
Department of Education is too important to rush. It's too
important not to give it our best. That is what our
children deserve.
Let me assure those who are concerned that politics will
take precedence over the educational process: educators
will school our children. That's the way it is, and that's
the way it will continue to be.
One of the finest
career educators in our city is the new Superintendent of
Schools, Bernard Pierorazio, who joins us here tonight. I
am working closely with the Superintendent to make sure we
complete this process in a thoughtful way, putting the
needs of children first.
Changing a system that is set in its ways takes time, but
the need for investment in our schools cannot wait. Last
May I proposed an infusion of private monies directly into
classrooms across the city through a vehicle called the
Partners in Education Foundation. Together with respected
members of our corporate community we are ready to make
this idea a reality.
Tonight I'm announcing that we have established the
Partners in Education Foundation as an official not for
profit organization. This foundation will raise funds to
enhance the education system in Yonkers. A fulltime
executive director will be hired in the coming months. Most
excitingly, three well respected Yonkers residents have
agreed to be the first of the foundation's inaugural board
members. Under their very capable guidance the foundation
will begin its mission of expanding educational
opportunities in the coming 2006 -2007 school year.
Join me in welcoming the founding members of the Partners
in Education Board of Directors, Richard Fitzgerald,
President of Sound Associates; David Pope, President and
CEO of the Generoso Pope Foundation; and David Westin,
President of ABC News.
Neighborhoods have been the
bedrock of Yonkers for generations. We value the backyards
our children play in and enjoy the company of our
neighbors. There is a pride and a comfort when we return to
our homes at night. As we strive to meet the needs of
future generations, we must keep close the ideal of
neighborhood life.
Above all, we know that neighborhoods must be safe in order
to flourish, which is why I'm proud that our Police and
Fire Departments have made Yonkers one of the safest big
cities in America.
In 2005 crime rates dropped for the second straight year.
Murders are down 40% from the year before. Rapes and sexual
crimes are the lowest they've been in three years. Assaults
are down, and last year we had the lowest number of
burglaries of the last 15 years including a nearly 30%
reduction in auto-theft, another 15-year low.
We are proud that our Fire Department has the second
fastest response time in the nation.
That is not to say we are without our challenges. Last
summer a rash of violence threatened the southwest part of
the city. But we responded with determination and force.
With the help of a grant delivered by Senator Nick Spano,
we created Operation Impact and the Safe Streets Initiative
which resulted in more than 180 arrests, nearly 250
summonses, and the confiscation of scores of illegal
weapons and narcotics over the course of just three months.
Last week we announced that these programs will continue
this year, sending a message loud and clear that we will
not allow thugs to terrorize the people of Yonkers.
And to those who prey on people in municipal housing,
especially our senior citizens, we have the same message.
We are increasing narcotics patrols all over the city and
will be installing security cameras and personnel at public
housing sites. We have put more uniformed officers on the
street, more undercover detectives in the field, and have
expanded community monitoring programs to empower our
residents. These programs are working and are giving people
a reason to take pride in their community and stake solid
hope in their future.
Our Police and Fire Departments have been innovative in
their efforts to prepare for potential threats to our
public safety, incorporating new technologies and securing
more than $10 million in grant funding for new programs and
initiatives at no cost to our tax payers. The results are
the finest trained, best equipped police officers and
firefighters anywhere, and we thank them for keeping us
safe.
There are many others who work daily to keep Yonkers safe
and open for business but are rarely recognized for the
critical work they do in keeping our streets clear and our
public facilities operational. To the army of public works,
general services, and parks department employees, who
demonstrated their dedication and ability in response to
the recent wind storm and blizzard that hit our region, I
extend a well deserved thank you and job well done.
Please join me in recognizing members of the Central
Committee of War Veterans. There are more than 18,000
veterans living in our city. This year we will begin the
restoration of the Veterans Memorial on South Broadway. I
proposed, and the City Council approved, $250,000 for this
important project. On that monument are nearly 800 names of
Yonkers residents who gave their lives for our country.
This is the least we can do.
Also, tonight please keep in your prayers a member of the
Yonkers Police Department, Officer James McGovern, who is
serving his second tour of duty in Iraq.
About one out of every five people living in Yonkers is
over the age of 60, with that population expanding every
day. Senior citizens are the fastest growing population of
our community, and believe it or not-in about twenty
years-I'll be joining that population. As a city we must
take care of those who have spent their lives taking care
of us. Our Office for the Aging and Department of
Constituent Services is striving every day to meet the
needs of older adults, affording them an opportunity to
live independent, meaningful and productive lives.
Last year we provided nearly fifty thousand meals to
homebound senior citizens. We gave thirty thousand rides to
seniors in need of transportation to attend medical
appointments, go food shopping, do their banking, visit
local libraries, nutrition sites and more. Over fifteen
hundred seniors received assistance with housing placement,
Medicaid applications, Social Security issues or Health
Insurance Options, and we're currently helping seniors
adapt to the new Medicare Part D plan that took effect this
year.
In the coming year we will construct a new "One-Stop"
location to house the Office for the Aging. This new
facility will provide seniors with an accessible, modern,
spacious and comfortable place that will offer all these
services in addition to events and programs that will
further enrich their lives.
Efforts to improve neighborhood life in Yonkers, as with
any big city, must also address the needs of communities as
they adapt to changing traffic patterns. Residents are
rightly concerned that new development will add congestion
to residential streets. But my administration is taking a
proactive and preventative approach to traffic as it
relates to development. We are anticipating problems before
they happen in order to maintain the quality and character
of our neighborhood streets.
For example, we will dedicate more than a million dollars
to computerized traffic signal upgrades at fifteen
intersections around Yonkers Raceway. These improvements
will make sure traffic generated by the new casino does not
negatively impact the nearby neighborhood. We are taking
the same approach in other neighborhoods around the city
and will be working closely with members of the City
Council to identify problems before they become a nuisance.
Neighborhood life entitles our residents to green spaces
that are open and accessible to their families. But in a
city that's more than 90% developed, finding new areas for
parks and open space is difficult.
Tonight I'm
announcing that we will reclaim 23 acres of currently
developed land as open space for our people. The Yonkers
Green Space Project will preserve 5% of the land earmarked
for redevelopment in the Master Plan that is before the
City Council. And we will dedicate this space as parkland
so it will stay that way for decades to come.
Also part of the developer agreement is a proposal to
daylight large sections of the Saw Mill River. This will
create a new river walk esplanade through Nepperhan Valley
into downtown, ending up at the majestic Hudson River.
Larkin Plaza will be transformed into a large and open
public space, embracing the beauty of both the Saw Mill and
Hudson Rivers in a single dramatic space. The political
will to take on this project finally exists and we must not
let it slip away.
We are also improving existing parks throughout the
city. Over the past year, our Parks Department planted more
than two hundred thousand annuals at more than 60
facilities across Yonkers.
We restored the playground at Wakefield Park on Bronx River
Road and designed new playground facilities at Fleming
Field and Kardash Park. This year we will renovate
facilities at Bregano Park, Scotti Park, "Boo" Wilson Park
and Sullivan Oval. And we will conduct another major tree
planting in the fall.
Cities aren't built overnight, and it will take time for us
to rebuild Yonkers. But if we embrace the hope and
opportunity that have brought us to this point then our
potential is truly limitless.
Like many of you, I was raised in Yonkers. When I was two
years old my parents, both children of Italian immigrants,
moved their young family up from the Bronx in hopes of a
better quality of life-a little more room, slightly better
pay, and a lot more dignity.
To my family, Yonkers was a fresh start. An opportunity for
a blue collar family to live a suburban life-not one with
mansions and gated communities-but one built on
neighborhoods and families just like ours. My father
changed tires on New York City buses to give us that
opportunity. My mother did her part, and at a vibrant
83-years old, she still holds the same secretary job she
did forty years ago that helped put food on our table.
Why did my parents work so hard? For the same reason
your parents did: to make a better life for their children.
My story is no different than thousands of others written
on the pages of our city's history. Stories with roots in
Ireland, Poland, the Dominican Republic, or in Italy like
mine. But all stories that end up here in Yonkers.
We are imbued with a sense of duty to those who came
before us and are called to provide better lives to those
who live here today. A great hope has gathered on our
horizon. Hope for a Yonkers that's equal to the stature of
its people. We must now act to continue the progress we
have made together, or risk falling short.
Tonight I've laid out an ambitious plan to permanently meet
our economic challenges, usher in a new era of
accountability for our city and our schools, and continue
to improve our quality of life by investing in our
neighborhoods. It is a vision that embraces what we
believe: that we are too strong to succumb to cynicism;
that our city will shine bright when we embrace opportunity
and hope; that Yonkers is second to none and deserves the
best we can give toward its future.
I believe that we are more prepared than ever to do what is
right for Yonkers. We will reach high to grasp the vision
that lies before us. We will show the world that the poetry
of Yonkers is in our people and in their potential.
Together we will move forward and conquer our challenges.
Thank you. May God bless Yonkers and may God Bless
America.
© 2006
Yonkers Republican Journal
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