Politics on the Hudson

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 John Larkin in the Republican primary come September. Larkin was the choice of the city’s Republican convention in late May.

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 councils’ first, third and fourth districts.

Read the full story Monday in The Journal News and on LoHud.com

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 include Patricia O’Dwyer for Orange County Executive; Glenn Kroll for Sullivan County DA; and three town supervisor challengers - Daniel French in Beekman, Robert Hill in Pawling, and Nadia Rajsz in Lumberland.

Endorsements for candidates in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties are likely to come next week, Levitan said.

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 a primary battle against Castro-Blanco, who had picked up Republican committee support at a GOP convention last week.

McLaughlin’s withdrawal sets up a battle for the council president’s post between challenger Castro-Blanco and the incumbent Chuck Lesnick.

In an interview today, Castro-Blanco criticized Lesnick for what he said were delays in city council approval of two major developments, Ridge Hill and the $1.6 billion downtown redevelopment plan by Streuver Fidelco Cappelli. If 1 1/2 years could have been shaved off Ridge Hill’s five-year approval process, the development could have been producing revenue in the coming budget year, Castro-Blanco said.

Lesnick said that Castro-Blanco was wrong in criticizing him for Ridge Hill, pointing out that he took over as city council president at the beginning of 2006, near the end of that plan’s review. That development won a crucial zone change in July 2006. Lesnick said the council’s continuing review of SFC development has enabled that project to avoid lawsuits that could have set back the plan further.

Castro-Blanco also criticized Lesnick for the council’s failure to approve the city budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The spending plan was supposed to be approved by June 1, according to the City Charter. Lesnick said the council had sought to work with the mayor in making changes in the budget, but that it was now prepared to make the changes on its own.

McLaughlin said remaining in the race to November would require more of a commitment of time and effort than he had anticipated. McLaughlin cited his law practice and family responsibilities as factors.
In the city’s second council district, Virginia Perez and Jose Roman plan to challenge Wilson Terrero, who won Democratic committee backing at convention in late April, a party primary in September, according to the city’s Democratic chair Ken Jenkins.

In the city’s fourth council district, three Republicans plan to challenge last week’s GOP convention choice of Dennis Shepherd, Running against him are Gerri Esposito, John Rubbo, and Ronald Volino.
Read more on this tomorrow in The Journal News and LoHud.com.

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 November election – if he made it to that point – would require more time than he was prepared to commit. “I don’t know that it’s an uphill battle, but it certainly is a time consuming battle,” said McLaughlin, who’s second and final term as council member from the city’s 4th district ends Jan. 1.

The council’s Republican minority leader said party leadership had encouraged him to drop out of the race before the convention, but that he had not spoken to any of them since then. And he said he had not been offered party support for other political office if had dropped out of the race.

McLaughlin’s decision leaves Castro-Blanco as the GOP nominee to take on Democratic incumbent Chuck Lesnick.

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 challenge Castro-Blanco for the nomination in a September primary contest. McLaughlin blamed his defeat on Mayor Phil Amicone, whom he said “was personally calling district leaders” to support Castro-Blanco.  Although Amicone had said he was not supporting either candidate, the mayor appeared at Castro-Blanco’s inital fund-raising event and spoke favorably about him.  

Also decided tonight: 

*In the 4th District, Dennis Shepherd defeated John Rubbo, Gerri Esposito and Ronald Volino. The seat is now filled by McLaughlin who canot run for a third term because of term-limits.

*In the 6th District, John Larkin defeated Anthony Merante.
The Republican nominee in the council president’s race will face Democratic incumbent Chuck Lesnick. The Democrats filled out their
ticket in late April, picking Wilson Terrero in the 2nd District, where
there is no Republican opponent; Mario DeGeorgio in the 4th; and Ted
Winnicki in the 6th. Though a Democrat, Terrero supported Amicone for mayor
two years ago.

Look for full coverage tomorrow in The Journal News and LoHud.com.

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 seat, there are now four contestants after John Rubbo, an aide to Mayor Phil Amicone, resigned from that post and announced his candidacy last week. Also in that contest are Dennis Shepherd, Gerri Esposito and Ronald Volino. In the 6th District, long-time community activist John Larkin is facing Anthony Merante
The Republican nominee in the council president’s race will face Democratic incumbent Chuck Lesnick.
The Democrats filled out their ticket in late April, picking Wilson Terrero in the 2nd District, where there is no Republican opponent; Mario DeGeorgio in the 4th; and Ted Winnicki in he 6th. Though a Democrat, Terrero supported Amicone for mayor two years ago.
Tomorrow night’s convention at the Asbury United Methodist Church on Scarsdale Road may not be the fi8nal word, however. Republican chairman John Jacono said there was a good chance that at least one of the 4th District candidates run a primary contest against the convention winner and would not rule that possiblity out in the City Council President’s contest.

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 Perez and Carlos Orellana; Ted Winnicki in the 6th District over Steve Illarnardo; and Mario DeGeorgio, who faced no opponent in the 4th District.

The Republicans are not expected to narrow their field of candidates until a convention on Mary 27. Councilman Liam McLaughlin, R-4th District, is battling Jim Castro-Blanco for the GOP nomination for City Council President; Dennis Shepherd, Gerri Esposito and Ronald Volino are competing in the 4th District; and Anthony Merante and John Larkin are competing in the 6th District.

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 the financial forecasts. The writings on the wall. No surprises there.”

Asked about the hopeful side of the mayor’s speech: that the city will emerge from its current difficulties stronger than before, McLaughlin was not enthusiastic. 

“We like to keep a postiive tone, but it’s very difficult,” said McLaughlin, R-4th District.

Councilwoman Dee Barbato R-6th District said the mayor’s focus on development, particularly the massive Streuver Fidelco Cappelli project was not going to help the city with the next budget. She acknowledged the project would help future budgets, which was Amicone’s point.

“If there’s not dialogue between everybody involved in this, if there’s not information sharing, we are not going to get through this in the long run,” said Barbato. The councilwoman has not been pleased with with Amicone’s decison to back Jim Castro-Blanco for the Republican nomination for City Council President, a post Barbato was considering.

On the other side of the aisle, Democatic City Councilwoman Patricia McDow sounded more approving.
“I thought it was as up tempo as you could possibly be in these economic times. I agree with the mayor that we do have to move forward with development,.” McDow said.

McDow made it clear she didn’t want to be rushed into the final government agreements needed for the SFC project-  a land disposition agreement, essentially a contract for the city to sell much of the development sites, and a plan to finance the public infrastructure needed for the project though future tax revenue on the site.

“As council members we have a responsibility to the taxpayers,” McDow said. “We have to make sure we have jobs (for Yonkers residents); We have to make sure we have affordable housing; And we have to make sure our local merchants get some of this pie, that they have a oppunities to participate in this process.”

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 a State of (fill in your favorite government level) address to be packed with so many accomplishments, real or imagined, that an audience interrupts the speaker several times every page. Amicone’s speech produced only one outburst in its first five pages.

That came from a line espousing gritty determination in the face of difficult times. “Every man, woman and child in this city should know that Yonkers has survived tougher times and we will survive and emerge stronger from these tough times as well,” Amicone said.  “We won’t give up on our city of Yonkers.”

Come back a little later. I hope to post some reaction to the speech after I write a fuller account on the address to appear tomorrow in The Journal News and LoHud.com.