SFC’s LDA Made Available to Public, But Negotiations Continue

To view the latest draft of SFC’s LDA, follow the link below: http://www.cityofyonkers.com/index.aspx?page=2025

This LDA is the one that the City Council reviewed over the weekend, but it is unlikely that it will be the final version, as the five votes needed for its passage have yet to be secured, even with recent SFC concessions to build a residential tower at Chicken Island and to build a more substantially complete stadium.

The votes of three on the council – Dee Barbato, John Murtagh and Liam McLaughlin — will be the deciding factors on whetheror not the SFC/LDA will pass.

The developers, and the mayor, need all three votes in order to secure five votes for its passage, which will be combined with Council President Chuck Lesnick’s and Councilwoman Pat McDow’s votes.

Barbato and McLaughlin have asked for detailed revenue figures from the minimum development proposed in the LDA of around $400 million. They have also asked for a detailed list of incentives and infrastructure improvements to be paid for by the city, in the hopes of making a informed decision on whether or not the project is good for the city.

Several on the council have also asked for more time to review the LDA, so the finanical deadline of May 20th from SFC is no longer an issue.

Several new developments were uncovered at the council’s Real Estate Committee meeting last night:

The council is not even close to voting the LDA out of the Real Estate Committee for a  vote up or down — time is needed to read and review the LDA, and to try tonegotiate terms that could win over McLaughlin, Barbarto and Murtagh — remember all three are needed, if, as expected, Sandy Annabi and Joan Gronowski vote no.

This will require serious negotiations and more concessions on SFC’s part. The sale price of city land and properties, and the two-year hold that SFC will have on the city before they are required to build are two issues of concern.

Eminent domain (ED) also came up at the Real Estate Committee meeting, with concerns raised by Gronowski and Murtagh (Murtagh has submitted a resolution against any ED use for devleopment projects with incentives). While Lesnick explained that this deal always had an ED component, if it’s inclusion means that Murtagh votes no on the LDA, the deal’s dead.

Several members of the City Council met with Mayor Phil Amicone earlier in the day, with no resolution. While the mayor wants the council to vote on the LDA, Lesnick realizes that there aren’t five votes, not even close to passing it at this time.

So we wait …

Five Council Votes for SFC’s LDA By No Means a Done Deal

don't make your reservations at the new Yonkers stadium yet

 

Rising Times has learned that the City Council’s review of the new, and final, SFC Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) includes requests by councilmembers Liam McLaughlin and Dee Barbato for revenue and expense estimates for the minimum development required under the LDA, which now stands at around $400 million.

Barbato and McLaughlin are two on the council who want to know whether the final LDA is a good financial deal for the City of Yonkers. Under the original $1.6 billion downtown development plan,  SFC was to receive $250 million in incentives, including $160 million in infrastructure improvement, and up to $90 million in Yonkers Industrial Development Agency (IDA)  incentives.

Now, however, under the minimum development agreement in the final LDA, some on the council are questioning whether SFC should receive the same benefit based on the $400 minimum development as they would have received under the $1.6 billion plan.

SFC and the mayor would argue that SFC is moving forward and plans to eventually build the entire $1.6 billion project.

All of these questions need to be answered quickly, because the council is under an SFC credit deadline of May 20; the LDA must be approved by then.

Five council votes required to approve the LDA (because of the land transfer),  and right now – there ain’t five votes.

Councilwomen Sandy Annabi and Joan Gronowski both appear headed towards no votes. Council President Chuck Lesnick, and councilmembers Pat McDow and John Murtagh are leaning towards a yes vote.

That leaves McLaughlin and Barbato, with both votes needed to get to five to pass the LDA.

Anthony Merante Announces Council Bid in Sixth District

 

On May 2, Anthony Merante announced his candidacy for City Council in the Sixth District to replace Dee Barbato. Merante will run as a Republican and joins Republican John Larkin and Democrat Ted Winnicki as candidates.

Below is Merante’s statement:

On May 2, in front of 46 Davenport Road Anthony Merante, community leader and activist,  announced his candidacy for Yonkers City Council in the Sixth District.

 Merante has been an advocate for Yonkers Public School children.  With the school system making positive strides, he wants to assure that the progress continues. “I have a vested interest since my two children attend the Public schools.” None of the current councilpersons have children in Yonkers Public Schools. Our children deserve representation on the City Council.

Merante has also been an activist for proper development in the city. He was one of the leading community activists who fought to assure that the building of Ridge Hill Village would not disrupt the quality of life in the Sixth District.  He also wanted to make sure that the residents of Yonkers were not shortchanged on the sale/lease of the property. “Our hard work went down the drain when Chuck Lesnick, whom the community supported, for City Council president, said he would fight with us, but then passed it after being elected with no change to the quality of life issues. I am for development but all issues must be resolved before signing a contract.”

 With regards to our economy and the proposed city budget, “a productive councilperson,” Merante believes, “is someone who can do more with less.” “With proper budgeting and planning, this can be accomplished. Raising taxes must be a  LAST resort. In this economy, when tomorrow’s paycheck is not guaranteed, and real estate values are falling we cannot add insult to injury and raise property taxes.”  

 This can be done when there is trust between employer (government) and employees (the unions). When these two groups trust and respect each other they can work together and save the taxpayers unnecessary financial hardship.  This trust is noticeably missing at this time. “When I have the opportunity to talk with Yonkers union workers, it is obvious that the lack of trust is also paying a toll on employee moral.

 Merante is seeking the open council seat being vacated by Dee Barbato. Barbato is precluded from seeking another term due to term limits. Yonkers City government will have many new members over the next two years. “I have the leadership skills to keep the city moving forward,” Merante said.

Merante is a certified public accountant.  He has resided in Yonkers since 1987. He has been married to his wife for 24 years and has two children who attend Yonkers Public Schools.

Republican CCP Race Still Up in Air; Nick Spano Said to Control Majority of District Leaders

Here’s an update on the Republican race for City Council president (CCP), for the right to face off against Democrat City Council President Chuck Lesnick in November.

The two Republican candidates are Councilman Liam McLaughlin and Jim Castro-Blanco. Castro-Blanco, a first-time candidate, announced early and is running as the political outsider to fix a failed City Council.

McLaughlin, who entered into the race only recently, is running as the candidate with the experience to move the city forward.

Here’s the latest: Three weeks after McLaughlin’s announcement, the candidate who will gain a majority of ward and district leaders at the GOP Convention on May 27 is still a mystery. We recently spoke to Yonkers GOP Chairman John Jacono, who is staying neutral for the moment.

We also spoke to former State Senator Nick Spano, who still holds wide sway over the hearts and minds of Yonkers Republicans. Spano first disputed a prior post we wrote that had him calling district leaders on behalf of McLaughlin — this was an inaccurate statement and we stand corrected.

Spano is also staying neutral for the time being, to make time to get a better feel for how the rank and file Yonkers GOPers feel about the CCP race.

While the Senator was modest about his role and input in this race, it appears that a majority of the Yonkers GOP district leaders are former Spano allies, many of whom are undecided and waiting for marching orders.

We also hear that another key supporter in this race will be Councilwoman Dee Barbato. Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Barbato either has supported or will support McLaughlin, but there has been no public announcement made. A public endorsement of McLaughlin by Barbato could help push McLaughlin over the top in the Republican rich northeast Wards of Yonkers.

Castro-Blanco has the support of Mayor Phil Amicone and Councilman John Murtagh, and has a sizeable chuck of district and ward leaders in his camp.

We have also heard that some Republican council candidates are holding back their support to see which way it all turns out.

We finally hear that back room discussions have begun to try and work this out before the convention.

Bottom line is this race is still up in the air, with most waiting to see where the support of Chairman Jacono and leaders close to Nick Spano end up.  

Annabi and McLaughlin Considering Next Move

The political futures of city councilmembers Liam McLaughlin and Sandy Annabi are the hot topic of discussion at City Hall. Both McLaughlin and Annabi are term-limited this November, and with the oveturn of term limits dead, both must now consider their next moves.

While both have no public comment, privately neither has ruled out a run this fall for another office. What’s most interesting is that both have the same two options this November — run for county legislator or for council president.

Let’s break down these options:

I – Annabi, a Democrat and majority leader on the council, could run for county legislator in the 17th District, and challenge incumbent Democrat Jose Alvarado.  Alvarado is running again and has the support of County Executive Andy Spano and likely the support of Yonkers Democratic Chairman and fellow County Legislator Ken Jenkins. Alvarado doesn’t rock the boat on the County Board, and tows the line for Spano. This option would require Annabi to challenge Alvarado, and most of the Democratic party in a primary.

A race for council president for Annabi doesn’t get much easier. She would have to challenge incumbent Democrat Chuck Lesnick in a Democratic primary. Lesnick is likely to win the support of the Yonkers Dems, although not without a few challenges and disasstified Democratic ward leaders. Annabi would also have to ‘stab Chuck in the back’ and challenge him for CCP – It was Lesnick who orchestrated the council majority that elected Annabi as majority leader, to the disappointment of Pat McDow.

Annabi clearly loves politics and isn’t ready to retire. She is also a very good campaigner, and has been well-financed in past elections. Because of her exposure on the council over the past eight years, Annabi has citywide name recognition, and is an attractive and good campaigner, who would have to be taken seriously in either race.

II – McLaughlin, the minority leader on the council, will also decide whether to run for county legislator, council president or bow out of politics. A Republican, McLaughlin would have to challenge popular incumbent County Legislator Bernice Spreckman in the 14th Distirct, representing east Yonkers.

The word is that there is bad blood between Spreckman and McLaughlin, and both would love to knock the other out in a Republican primary in September. This race would be a “Battle Royale” if it ever happens.

McLaughlin’s other choice is to run for City Council president. After Councilwoman Dee Barbato declined to run, Yonkers Republicans appear to be unifying behind Republican James Castro-Blanco who already announced last month. McLaughlin’s experience and the friendships she has built over the years with Yonkers Republicans have temporarily halted the Castro-Blanco corronation.

Word is that meetings have already been held with McLaughlin and Castro-Blanco supporters to try to work things out. Once a rising star in the Republican party, two issues could hurt Liam’s chances at getting the party’s support for Council president.

I-  His lengthy battle with Mayor Phil Amicone over the John Spencer situation. After escalating into an all-out war a few years ago, the mayor and Liam have mended fences enough to work together civily at City Hall. But many Yonkers Republicans are now in Amicone’s camp, and it is unlikely that the mayor or this faction of Rep’s would support McLaughlin for CCP.

II – Over the past two years, McLaughlin has joined forces with Council President Lesnick, Annabi, and either councilwoman Joan Gronowski or Pat McDow, depending on the issue, as a majority coaltion on the Council. Some Yonkers Republicans would argue that this coalition has stalled the economic progress by painstakingly reviewing the SFC project before the economic bubble burst. 

McLaughlin could also decide not to run this fall, concentrate on his legal/CPA career and his young family and choose to run another day.

My Guess:  McLaughlin doesn’t run, and Annabi runs for Council president.

Fallout From Castro-Blanco CCP Run; Barbato, McLaughlin & Term Limits

Pat McDow

Liam McLaughlin

Sandy Annabi

Dee Barbato

Jim Castro-Blanco

Chuck Lesnick

Castro-Blanco is a Republican, and while he is the first announced Republican CCP candidate, Republican Councilwoman Dee Barbato is seriously considering a run. Sources tell us that over the past week, efforts were made to get Castro-Blanco out of the race for CCP to make room for Barbato, to no avail.

Now, based on the positive buzz in Yonkers for Castro-Blanco, and taking a look at his campaign team and fundraising goal of $800,000, pressure might fall on Barbato not to run. Democrat incumbent Council President Chuck Lesnick will likely face off against either Castro-Blanco or Barbato in November, and Republicans are trying to make sure that Castro-Blanco and Barbato don’t bloody each other up in a GOP Primary.

What scares some about this turn of events is if Barbato decides not to run for CCP, but wants to return to the City Council, where she is term limited. Barbato could be one of four or five councilmembers who would vote to overturn term limits, allowing Barbato, Liam McLaughlin and Sandy Annabi to run again for their seats in November.

Another wild rumor today was that McLaughlin is considering a run for CCP. McLaughin, a Republican and minority leader on the council is term limited, and has also been mentioned as a candidate for county legislator this year.

Other possible candidates could be councilwomen Patricia McDow and Sandy Annabi.

Democrat Dennis Robertson is also considering a run.

Amicone vs. Gronowski: “Can’t We All Just Get Along …”

    The political relationship between Mayor Phil Amicone and Councilwoman Joan Gronowksi has quickly deteriorated over the past 11 months, ever since Gronowski was elected to the council from the 3rd District.

    While there was never a chance for the two to invite each other over for dinner, the hope was that they could peacefully coexist. But those hopes are dashed with both the Gronowski and Amicone camps exchanging barbs, both in the media and off the record to Yonkersrising.com.
    Let’s remember that Gronowski worked in city government for 20 years before being fired by former Mayor John Spencer. Gronowski sued the city for wrongful termination and won.
    Amicone, who served as deputy mayor under Spencer, has had to deal with the baggage from the Gronowski-Spencer battle in his administration once Gronowski won the council seat.
    On the record, Gronowski told the Home News & Times that she had not been invited to a recent council briefing by the mayor over the Struever Fidelco Cappelli (SFC) development project.
    While the mayor has publicly admitted that Gronowski was not invited, officially the briefing was for the council leadership of President Chuck Lesnick, Majority Leader Sandy Annabi, and Minority Leader Liam McLaughlin. Councilwoman Pat McDow was also invited because of her role as co-chair of the Council Real Estate Committee.
    Off the record, the Rising Times blog has heard a lot of grumblings from both sides. They include:

I-From the Mayor’s Camp: “Joan will never forget and forgive her firing, which she now blames on the mayor. With this as a backdrop, it’s impossible for them to work together on anything. Her vote against the FEIS was the last straw.”

II-From a City Council Source: “The mayor’s latest episode with Councilwoman Gronowski is another example of how bad relations are between the mayor and the council. While the mayor has some allies on the council, there’s no one willing to carry his water and go to bat for him, partly because of his treatment, by him and his staff, of council members like Joan. The mayor should realize that the council needs to work together, and they can’t support his shunning of her.”
     Back on the record, the mayor did hold a separate meeting with Gronowski to update her on the progress of drafting a Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) for the SFC project. (See our other entry entitled “SFC update.”)
     Another thorn between the two is Gronowski’s inquisitions into the use of city-owned vehicles and the civil service hiring practices of the Amicone administration. And on both issues, Gronowski’s actions are supported by the vast majority of Yonkers residents, and by Yonkersrising.com.
     To the mayor’s credit, his administration has reduced the size of the city’s car fleet and has reduced the number of non-civil service employees in City Hall.
     While tensions between the two remain strained, let us end with the hope that during this holiday season, “Can’t we all just get along?”

SFC Update

     Tonight, the Yonkers City Council Real Estate Committee met and set a date for next Wednesday, November 5, to vote on the Findings Statement for the SFC redevelopment project. While the council has reviewed the massive $1.6 billion plan for downtown Yonkers for more than one year, the vote next week will be the first in which the people of Yonkers find out where the council stands on this project.    

     A previous vote last month to accept the Final Environmental Impact Statement as complete was not a vote for or against the project, just a vote to conclude the environmental review. The council vote on accepting the FEIS was 5-2, with Councilwomen Sandi Annabi and Joan Gronowski voting no.

     Whether or not Annabi or Gronwoski’s “no” vote is a prelude to their opposing the project is anyone’s guess, and it is still unclear what the final vote is on the Findings Statement, which outlines some of the details of what the council would like to see as part of a final agreement between the developers and the city.
     But it is expected that there will be at least four votes to approve a findings statement next Wednesday. This would move the project along to the next step, which would be for the council to approve a Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) for the SFC plan.

     The LDA is where the details of the project are finalized, after negotiations between the mayor, the council and SFC. Mayor Amicone, in an effort to move along the process, has begun to draft an LDA and has had briefings on it with the City Council (these meetings are the subject of our other blog entry — mayor and Gronowski).
     Eventually, all parties must get together and negotiate the term of the LDA. These sessions have not yet begun, in part because parts of the Findings Statement will determine the details of the LDA.
     Look for LDA negotiations to take some time, because the council and the developer remain far apart on a few issues. They include:

I-Affordable housing — SFC has proposed that 6 percent of the residential units they build be set aside for affordable housing. The City Council has proposed 20 percent, led by Councilwoman McDow on this issue. The developers claim that 20 percent won’t work. An agreement north of 10 percent is the most likely outcome.

II-Yonkers Fire Department (YFD) — Yonkers Firefighters Local 628 President Hugh Fox has commented again and again at council meetings on his concern about the ability of his members to safeguard the community if the SFC project is built, without more manpower and equipment. We’re hearing mixed messages from within the Fire Department on SFC, and while Fox is opposed to the project, without increases to the YFD budget, others claim that SFC is already doing enough (building a new firehouse and fire headquarters) to more than adequately protect the public. More on this in next week’s Home News & Times.
    The issue remains unresolved, with several councilmembers questioning the SFC plan for the YFD, based on Fox’s comments.

III-Sale of land by the city to SFC — In order to build their project, SFC must acquire several parcels of land from the city. This includes parcels in and around Getty Square and Chicken Island, and riverfront property downtown.
    It’s the riverfront properties, known as parcels H&I, that are the most valuable asset. With a looming budget deficit facing the city, look for the City Council to try and negotiate a multimillion-dollar payment for the H&I parcels to ease next year’s budget pain.

    The issue of the landmarking of 87 Nepperhan Ave. appears to have fizzled, with a majority on the council not in favor of landmarking. No council vote has been planned to designate 87 Nepperhan a landmark, an indication that council may take a pass on this issue.

Lesnick Clarifies 87 Nepperhan/Rev. Cole Letter

We spoke with Council President Chuck Lesnick about our prior post concerning a letter he received purportedly from Rev. Cole of the Landmarks Preservation Board. Below is Chuck’s e-mail:

     Yesterday, the attached document was faxed to my office. My staff did not see the fax until the RE meeting was underway and, in an effort to bring what appeared to be news to the attention of the Council, the document was handed to me.
     When I read it into the record, I said that it appeared to be a letter sent from Rev. Cole reversing his vote. I said that I did not know whether a vote could be changed — and such a change was moot since the landmarks resolution passed 6-2, having the same effect as if it had been 7-1.
     Rev. Cole called me today to explain that Phil Wanderman had contacted him asking him to change his vote and had sent this to him as a suggested letter. I then called Mr. Wanderman and he explained that he had faxed it to my office as a proposal to show me that he was trying to get all of the members of the Landmarks Board to change their votes.
     The bottom line is that Rev. Cole was not the author of this letter and he has not changed his vote. The vote remains 6-2 and my staff and I have apologized to Rev. Cole for the confusion.   -Chuck

87 Nepperhan Landmarking Debate Takes Strange Turn

Lesnick to Retract Fake Letter from Board Member Rev. Cole

  

Chuck Lesnick

Last week’s City Council Real Estate Committee meeting took a strange turn when Council President Chuck Lesnick read into the record a letter, purported to be penned by Rev. Roy Cole, a member of the Yonkers Landmarks Board. 

Cole was one of two members of the Landmarks Board to vote no on designating 87 Nepperhan Ave. a landmark. Despite Cole’s “no” vote, the resolution passed and was sent on to the City Council for its review, which began with the Real Estate Committee last Thursday.

The letter states that Rev. Cole had switched his vote to yes. Lesnick read the letter and then stated that he would be changing his vote to yes for landmarking 87 Nepperhan.

The problem is, the letter is a fake! Rev. Cole has contacted Lesnick and the Mayor’s Office to inform them that he never wrote the letter.

Lesnick is said to have issued a retraction, but his future vote on the landmarking of 87 Nepperhan remains unknown. We will contact Lesnick for his response to this strange course of events. 

We also hear that Rev. Cole has been taking a lot of heat for his no vote, with one overzealous landmark supporter showing up at Rev. Cole’s church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, to urge him to change his vote.

The other member of the Landmarks Board to vote no on landmarking 87 Nepperhan, Zuhair Aqueel, has also been taking verbal abuse and is being urged to switch his vote.

Why do landmark advocates want a unanimous vote from the Landmarks Board so badly? We hear that it’s because they want a unanimous vote sent to the City Council to influence council members to vote for the landmarking.

Further buzz on this has Lesnick under fire for reading the letter without verifying its authenticity.

Finally, the council took no vote on the Landmarking of 87 Nepperhan, and will do so when they vote on the findings statement for the SFC project. That date has not yet been sent.

Read more about the 87 Nepperhan debate on YonkersRising.com.