At the May 13th candidates’ forum at the Beczak Center, six candidates made their case for why they should be elected Yonkers City Council President:
- Lakisha Collins-Bellamy (D-Incumbent) is proud of her record on affordable housing, education and public safety and believes she should be re-elected as Council President
- Ron Shutté (R) wants to reinstate term limits, and end what he calls the “syndicate” that is running the City for the self-interests of the people in power
- Mike Khader (D*) claims he’s a proven leader, who can restore honesty to Yonkers government, build coalitions, and address the affordable housing emergency
- Tasha Diaz (D) wants to represent the community that needs truly affordable housing
- Chuck Lesnick (D*) wants to protect Yonkers from the Trump budget cuts and bring his deep knowledge of government back to the city government; and
- Peter Spano (D) wants to bring his passion and entrepreneurial spirit to solve the city’s long standing problems.
* Former City Council President
Community Groups Sponsored Forum
The forum was sponsored by the Hudson River Community Association and the Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus—Yonkers Chapter. Approximately 80-90 people were in the audience. After opening statements, each candidate was given two minutes to respond to questions on the environment, development, youth employment, housing stability, the role of the City Council in serving as a check and balance on the mayor, aiding minority communities, the City’s noise ordinance, and combating friends and family patronage in the civil service system. The questions stimulated a lively discussion, and provided some good theater, but ultimately, the specific positions of the candidates were difficult to keep track of, and it was unclear exactly what each proposes to do if elected.
Candidates’ Positions
On the surface there are many similarities between the candidates: They are all lifelong or long-term Yonkers residents and want to see our city thrive; they all support the need for more affordable housing, they all support our public schools and seek to ensure adequate funding from the State of New York; and, they all want reasonable development that considers the needs of our current resident.
But there were also deep and sometimes bitter divisions: In her opening statement, Council President Collins-Bellamy alluded to her belief that at least one candidate was a spoiler – only running to take votes from others. Khader and Shutté intimated that the current City Council, including Council President Bellamy-Collins, are controlled by the mayor, and rubber stamp his initiatives. Khader asserted that much of what the current Council does (i.e. ribbon cutting and photo ops) is nothing but “fluff.” Lesnick stated there had been political retribution against council members who didn’t support the mayor. Bellamy-Collins defended her work with the mayor, and her vote to overturn term limits to allow him to run for a 4th term. Others believed that term limits need to be reinstated. Diaz defended her sponsorship of an ordinance that relaxed noise restrictions, even though the other candidates believed the ordinance should be rescinded.
Political Heat
Tensions erupted near the end of the evening when, Khader accused Collins-Bellamy of using her position to get her husband a government job. In turn, Collins-Bellamy accused Khader, a former City Council President who Collins-Bellamy unseated four years ago, of using his position to secure free office space from an attorney who had a contract with the City Council. Both candidates vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Collins-Bellamy said her husband was appointed to his position off a civil service list, and Khader said he had been fully vindicated and had been victimized by a false report from the City’s MAGA inspector general.
Running for office in the City of Yonkers is not for the faint of heart. Yonkers politicians are known for going after each other with gusto. In the coming weeks, The Yonkers Ledger will try to sort out the facts from the fiction to help the voters make an informed decision when it’s time to go to the polls next month.
The Ledger Seeks Candidates’ Views on Issues
We have asked the candidates to submit responses to a questionnaire that addresses the core issues in the race. Thereafter, we will conduct follow up interviews with all the candidates to clarify their positions on the issues.
Yonkers voters must decide which candidate can best wield the power of the City Council President’s office to pass legislation that will improve the operations of our city government and make progress on the important issues that affect residents’ lives.
Get ready to vote!
We hope you pay attention and get out to vote in the upcoming June primaries and later in the November general election. Your vote is important in strengthening our democracy and securing the future success of our city.
