Politics on the Hudson

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.

Yonkers Assemblyman Mike Spano got a mayoral endorsement today from three of the Yonkers City Council’s Democrats.

Spano, the Democratic party’s endorsed candidate, faces a Sept. 13 Democratic primary challenge from City Council President Chuck Lesnick and Robert Flower.

“Mike is the only candidate who can bring the strong leadership our city needs to protect education and provide new opportunity in Yonkers,” said Councilwoman Patricia McDow, 1st District. “He’s been an effective advocate for Yonkers as an Assemblyman and will be the effective Mayor our city needs now more than ever.”

“It’s time to bring change to the Mayor’s office and implement the reforms that are important to us all, such as improving our schools so our kids get the support they need,” said Councilman Wilson Terrero, 2nd District. “Mike Spano is the clear choice to get that done. He has the vision to continue what is right and fix what is wrong.”

“Our city cannot afford to continue to be run by crisis year after year while spending more than our revenues allow,” said Councilwoman Joan Gronowski, 3rd District. “Yonkers voters have a real opportunity this year to elect a Mayor who has the ability to make real progress for our city.”

Yonkers Inspector General Dan Schorr and Yonkers Councilwoman Patricia McDow both issued letters today about Schorr’s investigation into allegations that McDow got years of free parking at a public garage near her home.

Here are their letters:

McDow Ethics Board Referral

McDow response to IG ethics referral

Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick and Councilman Wilson Terrero, D-2nd District, attended the Yonkers Board of Education’s meeting on Wednesday night to offer a compromise on the impasse over the Yonkers inspector general’s right to inspect the school district’s accounts.

Last year the City Council approved more than $25 million in capital improvements for the district’s crumbling schools, but some council members refuse to approve bonding for the improvements unless the board drops its lawsuit against the city.

The board filed its lawsuit in the state Supreme Court last year asking a judge to rule on whether the school district is an independent entity that does not have to allow the city’s IG to inspect its accounts.

Last night Lesnick said he, Terrero and Councilwoman Patricia McDow, D-1st District, have an alternative.

“This is the first time three of us have put on the table that — should the board of trustees give the inspector general the limited authority to complete the audit that had been proposed by his predecessor — then we believe we have the votes from at least two other members of the council to move forward,” Lesnick said in his office yesterday. “What were asking them is, without prejudice to the lawsuit, invite him in to finish up just that audit. That’s enough, by the time he finishes that audit we expect the court will have made a decision.” EndFragment->

Former Yonkers Inspector General Philip Zisman had wanted to audit the district’s health and welfare funds, but the board refused to cooperate with him, citing that it has outside auditors review its finances. Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone has said that the Board of Education should allow the inspector general to audit its books.

Yonkers Board of Education President Bernadette Dunne was not at the board’s office and she did not return a request for comment sent by e-mail earlier this morning.

Lesnick said he got feedback from board members on Wednesday night, but he did not speak to a majority of the nine members.

StartFragment->“During the public portion (of the meeting) they did not respond. During the private discussion between meetings some of the board members expressed a willingness to compromise and others did not,” said Lesnick, who was prompted to reach out by PTA parents. “StartFragment->They had been told by the district that ‘we’d love to do the improvements but the City Council won’t approve it.’ So now we, the City Council, are shooting back. OK, here’s a compromise.”EndFragment->

Yonkers Councilwoman Patricia McDow, D-1st District, wants the Yonkers City Council to adopt a resolution asking the Public Service Commission to put greater restrictions on Con Edison when it comes to tree cutting, street digging and repaving. Here is her statement released yesterday.

Major projects such as Consolidated Edison’s M-29 power line, causing serious traffic issues; road disruption and recent numerous tree cuttings, prompted Yonkers Majority Leader Patricia D. McDow (D), Council Member for the First District to introduce legislation requesting that the Public Service Commission (PSC) review their relevant rules and regulations and consider amending them to be more objective towards the opinions of the community. The purpose of this legislation is to lessen the burden on local residents directly affected by actions taken by regulated public utility companies before important projects are initiated. In addition, the councilwoman is also respectfully requesting that the New York State Legislature and Governor pass legislation mandating the PSC to allow for better community input.

Following the most recent Real Estate Committee Meeting, the committee members had agreed that a council support resolution should be introduced to address the needs of the community. The Yonkers City Council Members have requested that the Yonkers City Clerks Office send a copy of this certified resolution to the municipalities throughout New York State that may also share the same concerns.

Majority Leader McDow states, “I believe that community and local concerns are not adequately being addressed through the current rules and regulations of the commission as it stands.”

We noticed that all the Yonkers City Council laggards in filing state campaign financial disclosure reports are Democrats.

The January 2010 report should have been filed on Jan. 11, and as of today there are no such filings on the state Board of Elections’ Web site by Patricia McDow, D-1st District, and Wilson Terrero, D-2rd District.

Terrero, who was elected to the council in November, also has not filed his 27-Day Post-General report, which was due on Nov. 30.

City Council President Chuck Lesnick, also a Democrat,  was reelected in November and he is current on all his filings, as are the three Republicans on the council, two of whom were elected in November.

In an earlier version of the posting I incorrectly reported that Joan Gronowski, D-3rd District, had not filed her 2010 declaration, but her committee filed a termination with the state Board of Elections on June 30, 2009. She has no current registered committees and she is not required to make any filings as of June 30.

The Yonkers City Council traveled to Albany on Monday to meet with state officials about the city’s budget issues. Here’s a report issued this afternoon by City Council President Chuck Lesnick’s office:

The Yonkers City Council on Monday met with state officials in Albany concerning the city’s present budget issues and to present the case for much needed state aid for the city’s municipal and educational services.

Attending the meetings were Council President Chuck Lesnick; Majority Leader Patricia D. McDow – District One; Minority Leader John M. Murtagh – District Five; Councilmember Wilson Terrero – District Two; Councilmember Dennis E. Shepherd – District Four and Councilmember John Larkin – District Six.

On Monday morning, the Council met with New York State Comptroller Thomas J. DiNapoli and discussed various aspects of the state’s Fiscal Agent Act and ongoing audits of the City of Yonkers. Following that meeting, the Council met with members of the area state delegation, including NYS Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins and NYS Assembly members Mike Spano, J. Gary Pretlow and Richard L. Brodsky.

The Council later met with representatives of the Office of Taxpayer Accountability and Office of the Governor and was briefed on new state measures that aim to evaluate costs of mandates on local government in order to advance property tax relief and current economic development initiatives.

Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone’s nominee for inspector general, Dan Schorr,  lost a first vote last night after being interviewed by the City Council’s Rules Committee.

The City Council members in attendance voted 3-3, which caused the nomination to remain in committee instead of moving on to the City Council’s agenda for its Jan. 26 meeting.

Councilwoman Patricia McDow, D-1st District, was not present to vote last night.

Amicone nominated Schorr, a former Republican candidate for District Attorney, to replace Inspector General Philip Zisman, whose term expired at the end of 2008. Amicone’s previous nominee, Michael White, withdrew himself after City Council members questioned him about his handling of a case in Mount Vernon when White worked for the District Attorney.

Just in time for the Schorr interview, Zisman released his annual report for 2009. Zisman noted his work on city employees’ gas  and cell phone usage, city employees mismanagement of a charity called YALIS and community benefits associated with Mulford Gardens’ redevelopment.

Zisman also noted that he referred nine cases of alleged city worker misconduct to various city agency heads. Zisman referred one employee, Lorraine Lopez, to the Ethics Board because of her conduct in the YALIS investigation.

In the case of cell phones, Zisman found that one employee improperly downloaded music videos, a matter forwarded to the personnel commissioner for discipline. Zisman also found that city employees are not charged for their personal use of the city cell phones, including night and weekend usage.

Zisman also wrote that his 2007 recommendation that the city create an overtime review board has not been implemented, even though the city has persistent overtime deficits, including a projected $4.6 million police and fire overtime deficit for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The state comptroller’s office is currently auditing the city because of its budget and overtime issues.

The Yonkers City Council swore in new members on New Year’s Day and reorganized itself on Saturday by assigning committee chairmanships and designating party leadership posts.

Newly elected councilmen John Larkin, R-6th District, Dennis Shepherd, R-4th District and Wilson Terrero, D-2nd District, were sworn in at the Riverfront Library, along with City Council President Chuck Lesnick, a Democrat beginning a second term.

The next day the body designated Patricia McDow, D-1st District, the council’s majority leader and John Murtagh, R-5th District, the minority leader.

The new committee chairmanships are:

Lesnick: Rules Committee; Budget and Finance Committee

Murtagh: Municipal Operations and Public Safety Committee; Environmental, Sustainable Growth and Green Policy Committee

McDow: Real Estate Committee

Larkin: Legislation, Codes and Intergovernmental Relations Committee (two committees merged into one)

Shepherd: Community Development Committee

Terrero: Education Committee

Councilwoman Joan Gronowski, who formerly co-chaired the Municipal Operations Committee, did not take charge of any committee.

No chair was designated for the Franchises Committee, which did not meet in 2009.

The council also adopted a new rule stipulating that a committee meeting must meet within 15 minutes of its announced start time or it will be canceled.