Politics on the Hudson

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YONKERS — State Assembly candidate Shelley Mayer picked up endorsements today from U.S. Reps. Eliot Engel, D-Bronx, and Nita Lowey, D-Harrison.

“It is a privilege to have the support of two of the most distinguished members of Congress, and our local representatives” in Yonkers, Mayer said. “Both share a deep commitment to public service, defined by an unblemished record of integrity and success. I hope to follow their example in Yonkers.”

The nods come after more than 100 supporters turned out Sunday for Mayer’s Super Bowl brunch with state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli at Rory Dolan’s Restaurant & Bar. (Pictured with Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.)

Mayer, the former chief counsel to Senate Democrats, is now essentially running unopposed for the open Assembly seat vacated Dec. 31 by now-Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. The GOP candidate on the ballot is not actively campaigning. The special election is March 20.

Engel said: “I am pleased to endorse Shelley Mayer for the New York State Assembly. I have known her for a long time and admire her intellect, her work ethic and her devotion to her community. She will be an outstanding assembly member and I look forward to working with her to deliver for the people of Yonkers.”

Lowey said: “Shelley and I have worked together on so many important issues facing Westchester and New York. From her deep knowledge of health care to her efforts advocating for the rights of working men and women, Shelley is a true leader. Her breadth of knowledge will enable her to continue the advocacy work she cherishes, while also developing legislation that will strengthen the community and our State. I look forward to working with Shelley when she is elected to the Assembly.”

Mayer has also received support from the Democratic, Independence, Working Families party, Tenants PAC and former state Attorney General Robert Abrams.

YONKERS—State Assembly candidate Shelley Mayer has been endorsed by Tenants PAC, an independent group that works to get pro-tenant candidates elected, her campaign announced today.

Mayer, a Democrat, is the only party-line candidate seeking Mayor Mike Spano’s old 93rd Assembly District seat after her Republican and Conservative opponents bowed out. The special election is March 20.

“As a long-time friend of tenants, Shelley Mayer will be a strong progressive voice in Albany, where she will vigorously protect our interests,” Michael McKee, Tenants PAC’s treasurer, said in a statement. “Shelley knows that tenants are working people with rights and real concerns. She has the expertise and ability to work with others to ensure that affordable housing remains a priority. Shelley has always stood with us and that’s why Tenants PAC is proud to support Shelley Mayer for State Assembly.”

“I’m honored to have the support of Tenants PAC,” Mayer said. “Working people are squeezed tight, and affordable housing is essential to preserving our middle class. I am committed to keeping our communities vibrant and strong for everyone.”

As of 2006, there were 22,000 rent-stabilized apartments in Yonkers—by far the largest number in any suburban municipality outside New York City, according to Mayer’s campaign. In addition, there is a sizeable number of tenants in public housing and project-based Section 8 housing.

Mayer’s supporters include the Democratic, Independence and Working Families parties as well as former state Attorney General Robert Abrams.

Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick testified today on redistricting the state’s senate district lines and he asked that Yonkers not be split in half by two senate districts.

Lesnick made his statements before the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, where said that a current proposal would create a situation in which a non-Yonkers resident could be elected to represent the state’s fourth-largest city in the senate.

The city is currently divided in two senate districts. Democrat Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins represents most of the city, while Yonkers’ southeastern corner is represented by Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx.

Here is what Lesnick said:

I am concerned that if the proposed senate districts are adopted Yonkers could lose its strong voice in the New York State Senate, and as a result, lose out on very much needed school aide that historically, had been restored by a powerful advocate in the Senate.

For many years, most of Yonkers has been in one senate district and that senator, be it Chippy Flynn, Nick Spano, or Andrea Stewart-Cousins, has worked hard to represent us on matters that concern our City.

The proposed lines, as they now stand, split Yonkers down the middle into two sections, and in such a way, that Yonkers would no longer to hold a majority in either district and thus, weaken our representation in Albany.

YONKERS—Mayor Mike Spano was sworn in today as chairman of the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency board, and Deputy Mayor Susan Gerry was sworn in as a board member and secretary.

The Yonkers IDA is a public benefit corporation that provides business development incentives to companies that choose to locate or expand in Yonkers.

“The Yonkers IDA will play a critical role in the economic revival of this city, making careful investments that generate new tax revenue for Yonkers and new jobs for our residents who are still struggling in tough times,” said Spano, who took office as mayor Jan. 1.

“I look forward to seeing many construction cranes across our Yonkers skyline,” Spano continued, “and the completion of new development projects that will make our city a better place to live.”

Under law, the mayor serves as chair of the IDA board.

The IDA says that since 1982, it has generated billions of dollars in private investment within Yonkers. The IDA induces companies to invest their capital in major economic development projects that create jobs and increase the tax base, thereby improving the quality of life for all Yonkers residents. IDA incentives also encourage improvement to existing housing and construction of new residential property, ranging from low-income to market- ate, throughout the city, according to the IDA.

Former Yonkers Councilman John Murtagh announced today that he is joining the White Plains law firm Gaines, Gruner, Ponzini & Novick as a senior counsel.

Murtagh, a Republican who served two terms on the council ending last month and who waged an unsuccessful bid for Yonkers mayor last year, will focus on business and civil litigation and he will help the firm grow its municipal law and government affairs practice.

“I look forward now to helping clients not only based upon my legal background but by having spent nearly a decade on the other side of the table. My years in office have given me another perspective which, I believe, will help me advise clients living, working and doing business here in Westchester,” Murtagh said in a press release.

Less than a week after the county executive appointed her to chair two councils focused on senior citizens, Republican Legislator Bernice Spreckman of Yonkers has landed a similar post at Yonkers City Hall.

Mayor Mike Spano on Friday named Spreckman, a longtime ally, as his unpaid senior affairs liaison.

Last Monday, Republican County Executive Rob Astorino tapped Spreckman to chair the Westchester Council for Seniors and its federal counterpart, the Area Agencies on Aging Advisory Council.

The appointments came after Democratic Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins, D-Yonkers, eliminated the committee on seniors that Spreckman had headed. Committee leadership posts come with stipends of up to $9,000.

YONKERS—Residents may anonymously report fraud, waste and abuse in city government at www.YonkersIGTips.com, a website launched today by the mayor and the inspector general.

“This is an important resource that enables residents to provide information to the inspector general should they become aware of any wasteful or abusive conduct that undermines the integrity of government,” said Mayor Mike Spano.

Inspector General Dan Shorr said residents’ calls, emails and letters have led to investigations in the past, and the new website will provide another avenue for his office to learn about suspicious activity.

“The focus of the department is to foster honest and efficient governmental administration,” Schorr said. “This new online initiative will help achieve that objective and better serve the people of Yonkers.”

YONKERS – Democrat Shelley Mayer will be the only party-line candidate seeking Mayor Mike Spano’s old 93rd District Assembly seat after her Republican and Conservative opponents bowed out this week.

GOP nominee Donna Nolan’s name will still appear on the ballot for the March 20 special election. But after her father’s recent stroke, the Yonkers mother of four has decided not to actively campaign.

“She felt she couldn’t run an effective campaign” while tending to the needs of her family, Yonkers GOP boss John Jacono said Thursday.

Former Yonkers City Council President Vincenza Restiano declined the Conservative Party nomination on Monday; her name will not appear on the ballot.

Republican and Conservative party leaders said they do not plan to endorse new candidates in the special election.

The person elected will fill the rest of Spano’s legislative term, which runs until year’s end. She would have to run again in November for a full, two-year term.

Mayer issued a statement Thursday saying, “My thoughts and prayers are with Donna and her family.”

“I will continue to campaign vigorously to win the hearts and minds of voters, regardless of party, and articulate a strong vision for Yonkers,” Mayer said. “The public will decide this election, and I intend to prove worthy of their vote.”

Jacono said Republicans will now focus on finding a strong candidate to challenge Mayer – the presumed special-election winner – when she runs again in November.

“We’ll have time to come with a candidate who can make a big impact,” he said.

YONKERS—Mayor Mike Spano today announced the appointment of Carlos Moran, a former deputy commissioner for the county social services deparmtent, as the new executive director of the city’s Workforce Investment Board, effective Feb. 6. The board oversees the Yonkers Employment Center.

Moran has worked for 20 years at the Westchester County Department of Social Services, where he is currently assistant director of employment and training.

His annual salary at Yonkers City Hall will be $130,000, the same as his predecessor, Raymond Schmidt.

“As it remains a top priority to build and develop our city’s workforce, I am confident that Carlos’s extensive experience and involvement in our communities will greatly enhance our ability to help put our city’s unemployed back to work,” Spano said.

“I am honored and excited to serve as executive director of the Yonkers Workforce Investment Board and look forward to providing new opportunity for both residents seeking employment and local employers seeking to hire qualified Yonkers residents,” Moran said.

Moran holds a graduate degree in public administration and a graduate certificate in management and information services from Pace University.