Yonkers makes pitch for money and touts redevelopment
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- January
- 23
Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone and City Council President Chuck Lesnick began the city’s lobbying effort to pry loose more money from Albany today, one day after Gov. Eliot Spitzer unveiled his new budget for the state. The two trekked to Albany to meet with representatives from the Governor’s Budget Office and also talked with state Legislators who represent Yonkers: Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assemblyman Mike Spano and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, all of them Democrats.
The Republican mayor focused on more money for the Yonkers Public Schools, enough to put it on a on par with the other ‘Big Five’ cities across New York. Democrat Lesnick said the 7 percent increase in state aid for Yonkers schools failed to keep pace with the state funding boost headed to the states other big cities. Both officials said yesterday’s visit was just the start of the effort. The mayor is scheduled to address a joint meeting of the senate and assembly budget committees on Monday, Amicone spokesman David Simpson said. The 7-member City Council is expected to travel to Albany sometime in the next few months to make its pitch for more state funding.
The mayor’s strategy is to tell Albany officials that the city’s need for additional funds will not go on indefinitely, Simpson said, a series of major retail and residential projects are expected to significantly increase Yonkers tax revenue, Simpson said, who referred to the request bridge financing that will allow the city reach that goal.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 5:28 pm by Len Maniace.
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