The Yonkers Ledger Candidates Series
On June 24, 2025, the Republican and Democratic Primaries for City Council President, City Council Districts 2, 4 and 6 will be held, with early voting starting June 14. The Yonkers Ledger sent a five point questionnaire to all seven candidates for City Council President 2025-Lakisha Collins-Bellamy, Tasha Diaz, Mike Khader, Chuck Lesnick, Dean Politopolous, Ron Schutte and Pete Spano. Once the candidates answered the questionnaire (read their responses here), our reporters then followed up with an interview. One candidate, Tasha Diaz, did not respond.
Disclaimer Our reporter, Phil Zisman, conducted four of the six candidate interviews. Phil is a former Inspector General of the City of Yonkers and served in office during Chuck Lesnick’s first term in office from 2006 to 2010. Zisman in his capacity as IG regularly gave formal and informal ethics advice to all city officials — including Mr. Lesnick – and employees who requested it, and when appropriate rendered opinions on specific questions of government ethics. Copies of Zisman’s published opinions are still available on the Yonkers Inspector General webpage on Yonkersny.gov
Introduction
Ron Schutté has entered the Republican primary for City Council President with a platform built around his fervent opposition to the term limits extensions that have allowed Mayor Spano to serve for four terms, with City Council Members also gaining the right to remain in office for up to 12 years.
He advocates for a two-term limit for the mayor and city council. He thinks the City Council’s self-serving votes to give the mayor and themselves possible third and fourth terms were against the will of the people, and gave the mayor too much unchecked power.
Schutté is facing primary opponent Dean Politopoulos, the endorsed Republican candidate. This is not Schutté’s first pro-term-limits campaign. After 5th District Council member Mike Breen voted to overturn the term limit law in 2022, Schutté challenged Breen in the 2023 Republican primary. Schutté lost by only 13 votes, but his strong showing encouraged him to enter this year’s City Council President’s race.
From his first campaign, Schutté realized that many people in his district also disapproved of the Council’s vote to change the term limit law. Schutté believes the Council Members who voted to overturn the term limit law had an inherent conflict of interest because they benefitted themselves from the right to run for additional terms in office.
Although the issue of term limits is what compelled Shutté to run, he is still a pragmatist and believes he could work productively with Mayor Mike Spano for the benefit of all the residents of Yonkers. Schutté recognizes that the mayor’s development of the downtown has been good for the city, and he supports many of the mayor’s policies.
Schutté has lived in Yonkers for over 43 years and has raised his family here. He currently serves as the president of All Hallows High School in the Bronx and was previously a U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer. If elected, he believes he will bring a fresh perspective to the position of Yonkers City Council President. He believes a new face is needed in the city council office.
On the Issues: Development and Affordable Housing
One of the key issues in this race is affordable housing. All seven of the candidates in the Democratic and Republican primaries recognize that the national affordability crisis is also hitting Yonkers hard. The city’s Affordable Housing Ordinance currently mandates that 10% of the units in all new construction projects be designated as affordable. Schutté supports a reconsideration of the formula, but his focus is on homeownership. He says that too many rental buildings are being constructed, which is affecting the fabric and culture of Yonkers.
He is in favor of the MGM casino’s proposed expansion as it will generate revenue for the city. However, factors such as traffic patterns and flood mitigation must be considered before any city permits are issued..
Overall, Schutté r supports smart development, which means that all new projects must benefit current neighborhood residents and be supported by adequate infrastructure.. He says that smart development is not about big buildings.“Throwing up these huge apartment buildings in areas that really can’t handle that kind of density doesn’t do anyone any good,”
Budget Priorities
Schutté claims that the majority of the budget is allocated to payroll for every agency. His budget priority is to protect civil service jobs while trimming payroll in a manner that won’t impact city services or the quality of life in Yonkers. Schutté noted that the budget is also used for allocated projects and development. He wants to make sure that these projects and developments are genuinely generating the revenue they are expected to.
Government Ethics and Transparency
Schutté calls the current city government a “political syndicate,” and he aims to restore integrity to the city. Schutté says that many of the current elected officials are conflicted and act out of self-interest.
“The basis of me running is to bring back term limits. I think it got out of hand. It’s very un-American that four city council votes can control anything that goes on in Yonkers,” Schutté said.
Schutté believes a mayor can be both efficient and responsible. He believes in appropriate checks and balances and supports the role of the Inspector General in identifying conflicts of interest and taking action if warranted. Elected officials should declare their conflicts of interest and abstain from voting on issues where a conflict is present.
Conclusion
Schutté believes he is the best fit for City Council President when compared with his opponent in the race because he believes that Yonkers residents agree with his message on term limits. For more information on Ron Schutté and his campaign, visit https://friendsofronschutte.com/.
Voter Information
You can watch the League of Women Voters Republican Debate here.
Early Voting Begins June 14, 2025 and Primary Day is June 24, 2025. Click here for more information on where and how to vote: https://citizenparticipation.westchestergov.com/voting/early-voting-2025
