As of Thursday, we knew of plans for a three-way Democratic primary in the City Council’s 2nd District and a four-way Republican primary in the 4th District. Today comes news of another Yonkers primary race for city office. Anthony Merante says he will stay in the Republican race for the 6th District seat and challenge [...]

Yonkers Councilwoman Sandy Annabi, who cannot seek re-election in November because of term limits, said this morning that she will challenge fellow Democrat and incumbent County Legislator Jose Alvarado in a September party primary. The Legislature’s 17th District that Alvarado represents includes the Annabi’s 2nd City Council District as well as pieces of the [...]

The Working Families Party is out with its endorsements for four upstate counties. LoHud counties of Westchester, Rockland and Putnam, however, will have to wait a little longer.

All told the WFP endorsed 118 candidates in Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties. Spokesman Dan Levitan said the party’s priorities for that area [...]

Despite Liam McLaughlin’s announcement yesterday that he will not challenge James Castro-Blanco for the Republican endorsement for city council president, September primaries are in the cards for both the GOP and Democrats.

McLaughlin, who is in his 10th year as a councilman from the Yonkers 4th District, said Wednesday that he had reversed his plan for [...]

Yonkers Councilman Liam McLaughlin just announced that he will not challenge James Castro-Blanco for the Republican city council president’s nomination. McLaughlin said he would run in a September primary last week after Castro-Blanco picked up the endorsement of the city’s Republican committee.

McLaughlin said he’s dropping out because he recently realized a primary campaign and the [...]

James Castro-Blanco upset veteran Yonkers Councilman Liam McLaughlin  for the Republican nomination for City Council president at the party’s convention tonight.  Castro-Blanco picked up a resounding win, 10,643 to 6,438 under the convention’s system of weighted voting, said Republican Chairman John Jacono. Remember that’s weighted voting, only about 100 committee members actually voted, according to Jacono.

Later, McLaughlin said he would [...]

The big showdown between contestants hoping to carry the Republican banner in the City Council President’s race in November comes tomorrow night. That race, between Councilman Liam McLaughlin and fellow lawyer and first-time candidate Jim Castro-Blanco, tops the list of three party council nominations up for grabs.
In the race to fill McLaughlin’s 4th District [...]

Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick last night picked up convention backing of the Democratic Party in his bid to win a second term in office. Former Councilman Dennis Robertson withdrew from that contest and threw his support to Lesnick.

The convention also chose three City Council candidates: Wilson Terrero in the 2nd District over Virginia [...]

As mentioned in the previous post, the State of the City presented by Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone was not a pretty picture: The city faces a deficit topping $100 million for the budgert year that starts Juy 1. Here’s how a few Yonkers Council members reacted.

Minority Leader Liam McLaughlin: “It was nothing that wasn’t expected. We’ve been seeing [...]

Advance word on Mayor Phil Amicone’s State of the City speech delivered tonight was glum. Given a projected budget gap for the city and school district topping $100 million, it’s hard to imagine othewise. 

The speech was interrupted by applause 10 times. That’s not many for a speech that went on for 16 pages or nearly 40 minutes. Convention calls for [...]