Politics on the Hudson

The $685 million Westchester’s Ridge Hill officially opened yesterday with speeches and ribbon cuttings, yet the debates over the 81-acre retail-residential complex continue in Yonkers’ politics and in the current city elections.

At a candidates forum on Monday at Sarah Lawrence College, Republican mayoral candidate and Councilman John Murtagh, who voted against Ridge Hill in the City Council, told voters that he was part of a group of residents that filed a lawsuit seeking to block Ridge Hill.

Meanwhile, Murtagh said, Democratic mayoral candidate and Assemblyman Mike Spano worked for a high-profile lobbying firm promoting Ridge Hill while Spano took a break from elected office.

At the same forum, City Council Fifth District Republican cnadidate Mike Breen also voiced his long-standing opposition to Ridge Hill and he blamed the complex for worsening flooding after Tropical Storm Irene.

Breen promised voters that he will continue to monitor unresolved Ridge Hill issues over policing and over the construction of a new firehouse to serve the complex.

The city has not yet obtained property for the firehouse.

Westchester County Legislator Jose Alvarado, D-Yonkers, will not actively campaign for a sixth term representing Yonkers, the city’s Democratic party chair said today.

Alvarado, who has represented the 17th District in southwest Yonkers on the county legislature for almost 10 years, lost the September Democratic primary to Virginia Perez, leaving Alvarado with minor party ballot lines; he also faced a challenge from Republican candidate Carmen Gomez Goldberg.

“Alvarado thanked the members of the Yonkers Democratic Executive committee for their support and stated he is not actively campaigning. He wants to preserve the Democratic super majority on the Board and wants all our Yonkers Democrats to win,” Democratic party chairwoman Symra Brandon wrote in an email this morning.

Perez could not be reached this morning for comment about Alvarado, who also did not answer his cell phone; Gomez Goldberg said she was unaware of Alvarado’s statement to his party’s leaders.

“His name still remains on the ballot,” Gomez Goldberg said this morning. “As far as I’m concerned my campaign continues forward. It doesn’t affect me one way or the other. I think my message is clear and I think my reputation speaks for itself and I think I have the ability to bridge people together.”

Republican Carmen Gomez Goldberg, a candidate for the Westchester County Legislature’s 17th District in southwest Yonkers, objected to renewed proposals to pump sewage from New Castle to the county’s plant in Yonkers.

In a statement she issued today, Gomez Goldberg said that the county plant in Yonkers is already operating beyond its capacity.

“The neighborhoods surrounding the facility have endured the stench from this overused plant for months now. Piping in more raw sewage from the New Castle communities of Random Farms, Riverwoods, the Yeshiva, and the planned community of Chappaqua Crossing is not only a poor idea but an irresponsible one,” she said in her statement. “It is time to upgrade the Riverwoods Sewage Treatment plant to accommodate the sewage from those communities. Yonkers can no longer be the dumping ground for the rest of the county’s sewage.”

In other campaign developments, Gomez Goldberg announced on Thursday that she received an endorsement from the Asian American Republican Committee.

Goldberg is challenging Democrat Virginia Perez and incumbent Legislator Jose Alvarado, who lost the Democratic primary to Perez.

Former presidential candidate and presidential advisor Patrick Buchanan will speak in Rye Brook on Oct. 6 for the Business Council of Westchester.

Buchanan will speak with television pundit and journalist Eleanor Clift at the council’s annual dinner at the Hilton Rye Town, which starts at 5 p.m. with an invitation-only cocktail reception.

In his most recent column posted on his website, Buchanan writes about the legitimacy of killing Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born cleric killed by a drone attack on Sept. 30 in Yemen.

Westchester County Legislature candidate Carmen Gomez Goldberg got endorsements this past weekend from two of her fellow Republicans — Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone and former Gov. George Pataki.

Gomez Goldberg is running for the legislature’s 17th District in southwest Yonkers, which is currently held by county Legislator Jose Alvarado, a Democrat who lost his party’s primary election to Virginia Perez.

Pataki called her a friend who he got to know when he was governor.

“She has a unique ability to handle problems diplomatically and effectively — one person at a time — one issue at a time. She is a consensus builder whose only objective is to get what her community needs resolved. With Carmen’s experience I have no doubt that she can and will persuade her colleagues to stop out of control spending, find a better way to streamline government and make it more efficient and accountable to the people,” Pataki said in a statement.

Amicone said Gomez Goldberg has been a friend and supporter.

“Carmen is passionate, honest and has the experience needed to serve the people of all Westchester County,” Amicone said in the statement. “What District 17 of Yonkers and Westchester County needs is an experienced professional who has lived, worked and is invested in this community.”

Virginia Perez declared victory today in her Democratic primary contest against County Legislator Jose Alvarado, who represents the 17th District on the Westchester County Legislature.

“It is a terrific victory for the people of our district,” Perez said in a press release issued earlier today.  “When we started several months ago few people gave us a chance against a long time incumbent supported by the party machine. But we had a message, and that message was that I would listen to the people of the district. That their concerns would be my concerns.  That their voices would be my voice in White Plains. I told them that I would be there for them. In return they came to the polls for me, and I am very grateful for the support of each and every person who voted for me.”

The race was too close to call Tuesday night because of an incomplete count, which was updated late yesterday.

Unofficial returns last night showed Perez with 932 votes and Alvarado with 800.

Perez will face Alvarado again in November because Alvarado has two minor party lines. Republican Carmen Gomez Goldberg will also be on the November ballot.

Mount Vernon’s mayor’s race is still unresolved as of Thursday afternoon, according to the elections officials and the leading candidates.

With 18 of 76 district still unreported, Comptroller Maureen Walker led former Mayor Ernest Davis by 121 votes in the Democratic primary.

Elections Commissioner Douglas Colety said Board of Elections staffers began unsealing the voting machines Thursday and uploading the voting information for a preliminary tabulation.

As of this afternoon, the complete voting data had not been posted on the Board of Elections’ website.

An attorney for Mount Vernon Comptroller Maureen Walker filed papers in court Wednesday seeking to participate in the recount.

Walker and Davis, or their attorneys, are expected to appear in the state Supreme Court on Friday at 10 a.m. before Justice Joan B. Lefkowitz to discuss the recount plan.

Mayoral candidate Robert Flower offered his congratulations today to Assemblyman Mike Spano for his apparent win in the Democratic mayoral primary last night.

Here’s part of the statement Flower issued:

Democratic Mayoral candidate Bob Flower has personally spoken with his opponents, Mike Spano and Chuck Lesnick, to congratulate them on their honorable campaigns and to wish Spano success as the party’s candidate in the November election.

“I wish Mike and Chuck good luck in all their political endeavors,” Dr. Flower said.  “And I thank my staff and the community leaders who assisted my campaign for their hard work.

“While my vote numbers fell well below my projections, our two other campaign objectives seem to be falling in place and promising a better Yonkers,” he added.

These objectives are recognition and potential adaptation of innovative fiscal and economic programs, as well as the replacement of the current system of governance in Yonkers with a “mission first and people first” model rather than “career first” focusing.

Symra Brandon, chair of the Yonkers Democratic Committee, said today that last night’s returns showing three of the party’s four endorsed candidates behind the top vote-getters is not a reversal for the committee.

Party-endorsed candidates Christopher Johnson and Dennis Robertson for the City Council’s First and Third Districts and county Legislator Jose Alvarado in the 17th legislative district were all in second place in last night’s initial returns, which varied from 62 to 79 percent of election districts reporting.

“I wouldn’t use the word embarrassing. We have one strong candidate and the numbers are still out,” said Brandon, noting party-endorsed Assemblyman Mike Spano’s clear numerical advantage in the Democratic mayoral primary.

Brandon said that even if her committee’s endorsed candidates don’t pull ahead, the party will welcome the candidates that prevail.

“You challenge the establishment, you win it and the establishment works with you,” said Brandon, adding that voter turnout in her party’s races was very low. “We coalesce around those people who come out of the primary. We’ll just move ahead and continue our job to win. It’s part of the democratic process.”

Yonkers Councilwoman Patricia McDow, D-1st District, issued an email this afternoon reminding her constituents to vote in the primary election tomorrow.

She then listed the Democratic party’s endorsed candidates—and no one else. Here is a screen shot of the email she released.

For the record, there are 19 candidates competing in tomorrows’ Democratic and Republican primaries for mayor, City Council and county legislature.

The candidates are:

Mayor

Carlo Calvi-R

Robert Flower-D

Chuck Lesnick-D

Richard Martinelli-R

John Murtagh-R

Mike Spano-D

City Council 1st District

Mark Hynes-D

Christopher Johnson-D

Larry Sykes-D

City Council 3rd District

Jay Bryant-R

Michael Meyer-R

Dennis Robertson-D

Michael Rotanelli-D

Michael Sabatino-D

City Council 5th District

Mike Breen-R

Stephen Cerrato-R

Joe Crotty-R

County Legislature District 17

Jose Alvarado-D

Virginia Perez-D

UPDATE: Two hours after McDow sent out her email about the Democrats’ endorsed candidates and an hour after Politics on the Hudson noted the e-blast, McDow’s office sent out an email listing some of the Republicans’ endorsed candidates.

UPDATE #2: By 4:55 p.m. McDow sent out an email recalling her previous communications. “They were sent in error,” her email stated.