Politics on the Hudson

Westchester County Legislator Jose Alvarado, D-Yonkers, will not actively campaign for a sixth term representing Yonkers, the city’s Democratic party chair said today.

Alvarado, who has represented the 17th District in southwest Yonkers on the county legislature for almost 10 years, lost the September Democratic primary to Virginia Perez, leaving Alvarado with minor party ballot lines; he also faced a challenge from Republican candidate Carmen Gomez Goldberg.

“Alvarado thanked the members of the Yonkers Democratic Executive committee for their support and stated he is not actively campaigning. He wants to preserve the Democratic super majority on the Board and wants all our Yonkers Democrats to win,” Democratic party chairwoman Symra Brandon wrote in an email this morning.

Perez could not be reached this morning for comment about Alvarado, who also did not answer his cell phone; Gomez Goldberg said she was unaware of Alvarado’s statement to his party’s leaders.

“His name still remains on the ballot,” Gomez Goldberg said this morning. “As far as I’m concerned my campaign continues forward. It doesn’t affect me one way or the other. I think my message is clear and I think my reputation speaks for itself and I think I have the ability to bridge people together.”

Republican Carmen Gomez Goldberg, a candidate for the Westchester County Legislature’s 17th District in southwest Yonkers, objected to renewed proposals to pump sewage from New Castle to the county’s plant in Yonkers.

In a statement she issued today, Gomez Goldberg said that the county plant in Yonkers is already operating beyond its capacity.

“The neighborhoods surrounding the facility have endured the stench from this overused plant for months now. Piping in more raw sewage from the New Castle communities of Random Farms, Riverwoods, the Yeshiva, and the planned community of Chappaqua Crossing is not only a poor idea but an irresponsible one,” she said in her statement. “It is time to upgrade the Riverwoods Sewage Treatment plant to accommodate the sewage from those communities. Yonkers can no longer be the dumping ground for the rest of the county’s sewage.”

In other campaign developments, Gomez Goldberg announced on Thursday that she received an endorsement from the Asian American Republican Committee.

Goldberg is challenging Democrat Virginia Perez and incumbent Legislator Jose Alvarado, who lost the Democratic primary to Perez.

Westchester County Legislature candidate Carmen Gomez Goldberg got endorsements this past weekend from two of her fellow Republicans — Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone and former Gov. George Pataki.

Gomez Goldberg is running for the legislature’s 17th District in southwest Yonkers, which is currently held by county Legislator Jose Alvarado, a Democrat who lost his party’s primary election to Virginia Perez.

Pataki called her a friend who he got to know when he was governor.

“She has a unique ability to handle problems diplomatically and effectively — one person at a time — one issue at a time. She is a consensus builder whose only objective is to get what her community needs resolved. With Carmen’s experience I have no doubt that she can and will persuade her colleagues to stop out of control spending, find a better way to streamline government and make it more efficient and accountable to the people,” Pataki said in a statement.

Amicone said Gomez Goldberg has been a friend and supporter.

“Carmen is passionate, honest and has the experience needed to serve the people of all Westchester County,” Amicone said in the statement. “What District 17 of Yonkers and Westchester County needs is an experienced professional who has lived, worked and is invested in this community.”

Virginia Perez declared victory today in her Democratic primary contest against County Legislator Jose Alvarado, who represents the 17th District on the Westchester County Legislature.

“It is a terrific victory for the people of our district,” Perez said in a press release issued earlier today.  “When we started several months ago few people gave us a chance against a long time incumbent supported by the party machine. But we had a message, and that message was that I would listen to the people of the district. That their concerns would be my concerns.  That their voices would be my voice in White Plains. I told them that I would be there for them. In return they came to the polls for me, and I am very grateful for the support of each and every person who voted for me.”

The race was too close to call Tuesday night because of an incomplete count, which was updated late yesterday.

Unofficial returns last night showed Perez with 932 votes and Alvarado with 800.

Perez will face Alvarado again in November because Alvarado has two minor party lines. Republican Carmen Gomez Goldberg will also be on the November ballot.

Frank A. Acocella, an attorney in Purchase, announced that he is running as a Democrat for the Westchester County Legislature.

He is seeking to succeed Legislator Martin Rogowsky who recently announced he would not run for re-election. Rogowsky served the 6th Legislative District for 13 years. His successor will be chosen in November.

Acocella has been a resident of Harrison since 1991 and had run for Harrison Town Clerk in 2007 against current Town Clerk Joseph Acocella (no relation).

He is currently the principal of Acocella & Associates on Westchester Avenue in Purchase and has represented clients such as The Ritz Carlton, The Lofts @ New Roc & Oxford Associates Group in transactional matters, foreclosures and civil disputes.

Yonkers Republican party activist Carmen Gomez Goldberg will launch her campaign tonight for the Republican nomination to challenge Westchester County Legislator Jose Alvarado, D-Yonkers.

Alvarado represents the County Legislature’s 17th District, an area mostly representing Yonkers’ southwest quadrant.

Gomez Goldberg is the latest Republican to challenge Alvarado, who did not have a Republican challenger in the last election two years ago.

Instead, Alvarado narrowly defeated former Yonkers Councilwoman Sandy Annabi in the Democratic primary by less than 10 votes.

Gomez Goldberg is well known in local and state Hispanic Republican circles. Her politicking includes work on Hispanos y Spano Unidos and Amigos de Pataki.

Gomez Goldberg’s announcement is at 6 p.m. tonight at Dolphin Restaurant, 1 Van der Donck St., Yonkers.

Yonkers Councilwoman Sandy Annabi, D-2nd District, met with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office’s public integrity unit on Tuesday.

She presented her list of irregularities that she claims constitute voter fraud in the Democratic primary for Westchester County’s 17th legislative district. I’ve attached a copy of her complaint below.

Annabi lost the primary by five votes to four-term incumbent Jose Alvarado, who released his own statement about Annabi’s allegations on Wednesday.

For the record, Alvarado misrepresents some of Annabi’s positions on the city budget, capital budgets for the schools and a land disposition agreement (LDC) for downtown redevelopment. Annabi voted against the LDC because she said it was a bad deal for city taxpayers; she voted against the city budget because of cuts to police; and the City Council has not yet voted on the capital improvement bonding for the schools.

Here is the text from both statements. Annabi’s is VERY long: