Politics on the Hudson

With former Council member Dennis Robertson challenging incumbent Council President Chuck Lesnick for Democratic Party backing, one might have expected some direction from party leaders at their executive committee meeting last week. The executive committee, however, did not recommend either of the candidates. Instead a choice will be made at the Democratic convention on April 30

Party chair Ken Jenkins downplayed the significance of the no-decision decision, saying the executive committee decided to leave the matter for the committee’s more numerous ward leaders. It was not the first time that the executive committee didn’t back an incumbent, Jenkins said. Back in the early 2000s, the party passed over endorsing Fernando Fuentes in his unsuccessful re-election bid in the Council’s second district, Jenkins said.

The Republicans already have one candidate, James Castro-Blanco, and considering a race is Councilman Liam McLaughlin, whose second and final term expires at the end of this year.

Yonkers Councilman Liam McLaughlin’s legal limit of two terms in office runs out at year’s end, but the Republican attorney is planning at least one more race. McLaughlin says he hopes either to challenge incumbent County Legislator Bernice Spreckman for GOP backing in that district race, or else make a run for the Yonkers City Council President’s post.

The latter race would pit him against Jim Castro-Blanco, an attorney and first-time candidate, for the Republican nomination. McLaughlin’s dabbling in the Council President’s race follows a decision by fellow Council member Dee Barbato, who is also term limited, not to enter the race.

All of this follows a brief but failed behind the scenes effort in City Hall to do away with term limits.

Not to be outdone, the Democrats have a race brewing for the same seat. Democratic Council President Chuck Lesnick is being challenged by former Councilman Dennis Robertson. More on that contest soon.

Former Yonkers Councilman Dennis Robertson says he plans to challenge fellow Democrat and City Council President Chuck Lesnick for the Council’s top leadership post at a party convention in April.

Robertson said he would not run a primary against Lesnick if he lost at the party convention, saying he would not have enough campaign money to wage a successful battle against an incumbent without party support.

Robertson said Lesnick is not a strong enough leader on the Council and could prove vulnerable against a challenge by the Republicans. Republican Jim Castro-Blanco announced his attention to seek Republican backing for a City Council President race.

The 48-year-old Robertson is the full-time director of housekeeping at Yonkers Raceway’s Empire City, the video gambling operation run by the state Lottery, and he said he continues to operate an office cleaning consulting business.

Robertson unsucessfully challenged Yonkers Republican Mayor Phil Amicone’s bid for a second term in 2007, a contest that taught him, Robertson said, the importance of healthy campaign coffer.

“If I learned anything in the mayor’s race it was: you need enough money to define yourself for the voters and not let other people define you,” Robertson said.

The start of spring training is not only a hopeful time in baseball, but it’s arrival also corresponds to the surfacing of a batch of political hopefuls in Yonkers. The city’s Republican committee chairman John Jacono and Democratic chairman Ken Jenkins say the following have expressed interest in seeking one of three City Council seats up for election in November.

Republicans: In the 4th District are Justin Tubiolo, Dennis Shepherd and Gerri Esposito; In the 6th District are Anthony Merante, John Larkin and Steve Sansone;  No candidates yet in the 2nd district.
Democrats: In the 2nd District are Wilson Terrero, Virginia Perez and Carlos Orellana; In the 4th District is Mario DiGiorgio; In the 6th District are Steve Illarnardo and Ted Winnicki.

And though Jim Castro-Blanco yesterday announced his intention to be the Republican nominee for the City Council President job now held by Chuck Lesnick, Council member Dee Barbato, who cannot seek re-election under the city’s current term limits, is said to be considering a race for the GOP nomination for City Council President. Lesnick is expected to seek re-election.

The contest for Yonkers City Council President could wind up as a show down between two 49-year-old Westchester lawyers, each of whom is the father of two children.

Jim Castro-Blanco is seeking the Republican nomination for that post and would likely face Democratic incumbent Chuck Lesnick, who is expected to seek re-election in November. An attorney in the White Plains office of Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, Castro-Blanco announced his candidacy with an e-mailed press release today.

Castro-Blanco’s announcement is critical of Lesnick without mentioning his name. He says the city’s “progress has been stalled” under the Council’s current leadership, “opportunities have been squandered, and now people are starting to lose faith in the vision of a great city.” He lives in Northwest Yonkers with his wife Edie and their two children, who attend the PEARLS Hawthorne School.

If he gets the GOP nomination, Castro-Blanco’s announcement says, he would be the first Hispanic candidate for citywide office for either major party. Castro-Blanco’s father is from Colombia. Blanco had worked as an assistant U.S Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, before going to work for Wilson, Elser, a lawfirm with offices across the country and in London.

Lesnick had worked for the law firm Smith, Buss & Jacobs in Yonkers, but left to comply with the city’s ethics codes since the company represents co-ops in the city. He rents space from the firm. Lesnick’s two children had attended the PEARLS Hawthorne School.  The Council President said he’s met Castro-Blanco. “He seems like a decent guy,” Lesnick said, adding that he looks forward to a good campaign once the Republicans have settled on their candidate.

Westchester has a friend in the office of soon-to-be U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillbrand, communications director Rachel McEneny.

McEneny lived in Yonkers for seven years and is the daughter-in-law of former mayor, John Spencer. She left Yonkers in 2006 to work as communications director for Albany County District Attorney David Soares, where her husband John Spencer Jr. continues to work. She then moved over to work in a similar capacity for Gillibrand, who in 2006 ousted four-term Republican Congressman John Sweeney to represent upstate’s 20th District.

McEneny’s experience with politics didn’t begin by marrying into a political family, though. Her father is state Assemblyman Jack McEneny, whose district covers most of Albany city and county. Unlike the former Yonkers mayor and John Jr., who are Republicans, the McEneny familly is Democratic. McEneny worked for 2 1/2 years in Yonkers Community Development Office.

Life has gotten busy since McEneny and her boss waited up for a 2 a.m. phone call last week that informed them that Gillibrand had been chosen by Gov. David Paterson to replace Hillary Clinton. Speaking by phone this afternoon, McEneny, said she has two BlackBerries filled with messages, a sign of what happens when an elected official moves from a relatively sleepy Congressional district to sudden national prominence.

Speaking of his daughter-in-law, Spencer said “I’m very proud of her. She’s done good work,” later adding, “There are some Democrats I like.”

Yonkers is preparing to celebrate the swearing-in of Barack Obama with at least two inauguration-viewing events on Tuesday. The gatherings are scheduled for the Yonkers Riverside Library and the Nepperhan Community Center. Both start at 10:30 a.m., one hour before the commencement of swearing-in ceremonies.

As of earlier today, some 200 people had registered for the library event, which is sponsored by City Council President Chuck Lesnick. Since the library, which is located off Larkin Plaza, can accommodate up to 450 people for the event, Lesnick’s office suggests those who want to attend to register by email at yonkersinaugparty@gmail.com. Lesnick, however, won’t be at his own party. He will be watching the inauguration in D.C. The Nepperhan Community Center is located at 342 Warburton Avenue.

Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick had this reaction to Gov. David Paterson’s State of the State address delivered earlier today:

“I applaud Gov.Paterson for his leadership on creating an economic recovery and development plan to help us navigate these difficult economic times. We must all work toward the goal of doing more with less. We have begun to take that painful but necessary step in Yonkers.

“Still, there is a green lining in every cloud and I applaud the Governor’s proposed efforts to increase clean energy by having 45 percent of its electricity produced through energy efficient and renewable energy measures by the year 2015. This initiative will not only put more than 50,000 New Yorkers to work but will also provide our children with a cleaner environment in the future. In addition, his plans to provide incentives for companies that go green and clean up polluted sites within an Empire Zone is a great way of promoting business and the environment together.

“Finally, I wholeheartedly support Governor Paterson’s Healthy Food/Healthy Communities initiative which addresses childhood obesity with incentives that encourage healthy foods sold in urban areas. This will not only help individuals lead healthier lives but address our long-term health care cost goals.”

Here’s what Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone had to say about Gov. David Paterson’s State of the State address earlier today:

“I am encouraged by the resolve displayed by Governor Paterson today in facing and overcoming the dire financial crisis that now envelops our state and its local governments. The governor realizes as I do that, in order to emerge from this crisis, government must follow the example of New York’s families and do more with less—- an endeavor we have already begun in the city of Yonkers.

“But as we work together to address record budget deficits through spending reductions, we must not allow New York State to forsake its primary responsibilities: providing a sound public education for its children, preserving the public health and supporting local governments that provide direct services to all New Yorkers. Therefore I renew my call to the governor and our representatives in the State Legislature to immediately address the chronic inequities in the state education funding formula as it is applied to Yonkers, a problem that threatens to be made worse by the governor’s recent budget proposal. No matter how big the pot of money, it is incumbent upon New York State to distribute those resources fairly. Solving this problem will help the governor accomplish the goals he laid out today.

“For our part in Yonkers, we promise to continue the transformation of Yonkers Public Schools into a first rate education system and to achieve permanent fiscal solvency through the aggressive expansion of our local economy. We will also support the governor on the progressive agenda he has set for New York especially lowering the oppressive cost of doing business in our state, capping property taxes, relieving state mandates, creating a sustainable energy infrastructure and aiding local governments in becoming more efficient and cost effective. In short, Governor Paterson will find a willing partner in the city of Yonkers, and we expect the same from New York State.”