Yonkers Mayoral Race: And now there are four
Victor Earl, a first-time candidate, self-described community activist and a former felon, is off the Democratic primary ballot after signatures on his candidacy petitions did not survive challenges. Earl’s disqualification means City Councilman Dennis Robertson will not face a challenge in the Democratic primary on Sept. 18. He already has the Working Families line.
The same cannot be said for Mayor Phil Amicone. The Republican incumbent faces a challenge for the Republican nomination from former City Council President Vincenza Restiano and a challenge for the Independence Party line from that group’s former chairman, Nader Sayegh. Amicone has the Conservartive Party nomination.
Despite the challenges, Amicone held a huge fund-raising lead over his opponents through the first six months of this year. Amicone raised $233,671, which came on top of $550,829 on hand at the start of the year. Amicone is spending some of that money on political polling and video advertising. The campaign released two 30 second videos online Friday, but technical problems made viewing difficult for some. The trouble seems to have been corrected. You can see them here: www.amicone2007.com.
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As a felon, was Earl even allowed to run in the first place? You can’t vote with a felony conviction in NY, can you? Unless that was recently changed, you can’t. So if you can’t vote, how could you (meaning Earl) run?
Jodi (Who?) Mosiello, the cousin of hapless Lou, is taking John Murtagh to court to challenge his Council petitions. This is no more than Zehy Jereis trying to stick it to Murtagh because Murtagh (among others) wants the badly tarnished Jereis out as Yonkers Republican chairman.
As for Amicone, not only does he have a huge fund-raising lead, but the Consultant says that Amicone also has a very large lead in the polls over both Restiano and Robertson.
But the press will try like hell to make it a horse race even though the signs, at least as of this time, point to comfortable Amicone wins vs. the professional hack Restiano and then Robertson, who has no money and a ton of his own problems to deal with.
About two years ago, Restiano publicly said she was too old to even take a civil service test. But she thinks she can be mayor? This is just a John Spencer game, using Restiano as his willing little puppet.
The close ties to the widely disliked Spencer are among the many factors which doom both Restiano and Robertson.
Ethan,
Thank you for writing, but I question one point you make. Just because a private poll apparently says the mayor has a large lead, does that mean the press should annoint the incumbent for a second term?
We are four weeks from Labor Day, the traditional start for local campaigns, and three months from Election Day. I think we, the press, have a responsibilty to cover the candidates and the issues. I’m less interested in handicapping who’s going to win. I’m covering an election, not a horse race. Please keep writing.
Ethan,
Are you happy with a 30% tax increase, increase in the income surcharge and transfer tax? How about the crime charade? Looking at the past six months as opposed to the last four years is a game of smoke and mirrors. Lets not even talk about the scandal driven school system where State test scores are below NYC.
Happy? I’m not, and I bet that there are a good number of Yonkers residents who feel the same way.
Len,
No, the press shouldn’t anoint anyone. But on the other hand, it is less than candid for the press, any press, to pretend that polling results don’t exist. I trust the Consultant’s word on the results to date.
Yes, it’s early, and the races probably will tighten somewhat. But Amicone’s large lead over both Robertson and Restiano is not only in terms of money. However, the money does demonstrate the support he has, which then is reflected in the polls the Consultant has referred to.
Barry, taxes go up everywhere. Unions want their raises, the cost of living goes up in general. I believe the Yonkers tax increase this year is just 5 percent, lowest in the county.
To my knowledge, the problem with Yonkers’ schools is more closely related to the quality of many of its students than anything else. And you know that’s the truth. Personally, be it in Yonkers or anywhere else, I don’t believe in throwing good money after bad. More and more money will not fix the problems in large cities’ public schools, not in Yonkers or anywhere else. It never has, and never will.
Just to keep the pot boiling…. Are you saying that spending a lot of money improves the quality of education in middle and wealthy school districts, but not in poorer school districts?
Spending money without a plan doesn’t work, but it costs money to hire quality teachers, to maintain school facilities, and to run programs that involve parents who otherwise might not be involved in their children’s education. Maybe I’m mistaken, but I thought that’s what Yonkers is attempting to do.
For decades, studies of public school systems in large cities across the country have shown that, despite the many billions of dollars spent, the schools aren’t any better.
It would seem that is a reflection on the quality of the students across those decades. But the national “Education Bureaucracy” feeds on the myth that more and more money brings better results. It doesn’t, and the proof is there to be seen from coast to coast.
That is not to suggest you don’t spend money on “inner city” districts. But it also says you don’t keep throwing more and more money into them in the mistaken belief that huge influxes of cash will solve the problems.
Ethan: I agree with Barry are you happy with 30% tax increase. Ethan saying taxes go up everywhere is nonsense. Why is the city giving tax breaks to companies to do business in the city now? Businesses want to come to Yonkers now and they shouldn’t receive any tax breaks. The homeowner should be receiving the tax breaks. I know many people who were going to vote for Amicone but now won’t because of the 5% increase in property taxes. This tax increase is driving homeowners to leave the city of Yonkers, especially on the eastside. The mayor needs to focus on the eastside because we have become orphans on this side of town. Mayor Amicone seems to be interested in only the waterfront and catering to the wealty NYC crowd.
WAKE UP, Yonkers! Make our elected officials run Yonkers for the tax payers not themselves.
With Education the problem is not with the total amount spent, but what the money is being spent on. Is 407 MILLION enough to be sure that we have adequate pupil support services, isn’t part of thhe job in education to prepare students for college or jobs? Where is the accountability for the system? Shouldn’t our education system be able to take a lump of clay and mold it into something that resembles success – kids spend 75-80% of theirwaking hours in school.
SURPRISE! After going ad nauseum that the State didn’t provide enough money to fund raised – a little election year magic and voila! money to fund the contracts.
The Mayor is best for Yonkers while the taxes are the taxes. The tax payers in Yonkers are getting the best deal in Westchester and probable in southern New York, while I believe this to be true what accountability can be achieved with WICKS law and the useless unions demanding and not producing. The very fact that teaches blame parents and then school building instead of their own lack of effort indicates just how far that profession has slipped in accountability.