Petioning Begins: No Surprises; Primaries Coming in September

The petition season is well under way in Yonkers and across the county. So far there have been no surprises, including any efforts to get referendums on the ballot — is Rethinking County Government waiting, or taking a pass?

In Yonkers, democrats and republicans alike are out getting their required signatures to get on the ballot. We hear that so far, all of the interested candidates are getting more than enough signatures, which will result in some primaries.

Yonkers dems are heading towards two very interesting primaries, for City Council in the Second District, and for County Board in the 17th, both representing southwest Yonkers. At the Yonkers Dem convention, Wilson Tererro was nominated to be the candidate for the Second Council District, and Jose Alvarado was nominated for County Board.  

In the Second Council District, to replace Sandy Annabi (who is term-limited on the council and running for County Board) Tererro is joined by Virginia Perez and Jose Roman. Perez, running as a team with Annabi, has enough signatures and will be on the ballot. We spoke with Roman at a recent council meeting, and he also has more than enough signatures to get on the ballot.

Roman’s experience in the district as a community organizer gives him the benefit of knowing many of the voters in the second. Perez is an attractive candidate whose main issues about crime and gangs also resonate with the residents in southwest Yonkers.

Tererro is also a strong candidate, with strong ties to the Latino business community, and who is getting the help and support of the Yonkers Dem Party and Chairman Ken Jenkins.

This one can go anyway, with all three having a legitimate shot, and remember whoever wins the primary wins the election in this huge Democratic majority district.

In the Fourth Council District, to replace Liam McLaughlin, Republicans Dennis Shepard and John Rubbo both have enough signatures to get on the ballot, meaning a GOP primary in September. Shepard will have the support of the Yonkers GOP and Chairman John Jacono, while Rubbo will run as the outsider. We also keep hearing the Rubbo will get the Independence Party line.

The 17th County Board race pits Annabi vs., Alvarado, both experienced elected officials. Alvarado has the support of the Yonkers Dem Party, and has the full support of County Executive Andy Spano.

Annabi is running as the outsider, but knows the district after representing it on the council for eight years. She is an enganging campaigner, and together with Perez, is making a lot of noise with their effort to join forces and mount an insurgent campaign

Again, all other candidates out getting signatures with all getting on the ballot.

McLaughlin To Quit Council President Race

 

City Councilman and Minority Leader Liam McLaughlin has told Rising Times that he will stop his campaign for City Council president. McLaughlin cited personal reasons, including his wife and young son, and his current work at a White Plains law firm, as the reasons for his exit.

McLaughlin got into the race late for the Republican nomination for council president, and was placed in name for nomination at the GOP convention, but received less than 40%, with Jim Castro-Blanco the winner.

Since the convention, McLaughlin has been preparing for a primary battle with Castro-Blanco, and clearly looked at the prospects ahead of a primary against the party, the cost of fundraising, and being away from home for most of the summer.

McLaughlin’s decision is good news for Castro-Blanco and Yonkers Republicans who avoid a primary battle for CCP.

Regardless of why McLaughlin got out, his decision was in the best interests of the Yonkers GOP, and sets him up for a future run for office if he so chooses. McLaughlin has also been widely rumored over the years as a City Court Judge, or corporation counsel or even Deputy Mayor in a future administration.

His experience on the City Council, and his knowledge of the budget and ability to build consensus, is an asset to the City of Yonkers.  

Now that he is out of the race, McLaughlin and the council have before them votes on the city budget and the SFC LDA. Two huge unresolved issues — with the council and the mayor at odds over whether the mayor’s budget is balanced; and the SFC LDA, which still does not have 5 council votes needed for approval.

John Rubbo for City Council — Jimmy Stewart or Kamikaze?

John Rubbo announced his campaign for Yonkers City Council Fourth District last weekend. Here is his statement:

 On Saturday, May 30, at 12 p.m. at the Dunwoodie Golf Course in Yonkers, John Rubbo will declare his candidacy for Yonkers’ Fourth City Council District, announcing his intention to primary on the Republican Party line. After serving the people of Yonkers for the past six years as a public affairs liaison in the office of the mayor, John Rubbo, 27 years-old, will put his strong community ties and organizational knowledge to work in the City Council, offering new ideas, a fresh approach and aspiring vision for a city that too many times gets mired in old time political fights and seems left behind in a changing world.

 

“Yonkers must prosper and not merely survive. We must embrace the changing world and look to diversify the City Council so it can best represent and serve our community as a whole,” states Rubbo.

 

John’s entrance into this race marks a pivotal moment in Yonkers politics and represents the most significant prospect for change in the past decade.

“This election offers me the opportunity to implement continued advancement and stability in our community,” states Rubbo. “The City of Yonkers can no longer afford a path of complacency. The time for innovative thinking, enthusiasm and strong moral principles is at hand.”

 
Rubbo’s candidacy focuses on spurring additional private business investment to grow the non-residential tax base and lessen the tax burden for the average homeowner in the 4th district. “We must not forget that small business built this nation and it is small business that continues to shape the neighborhoods we work and raise our families in,” states Rubbo. “Government must oversee but not overstep its position in the public-private partnership with the business community. Yonkers must take a less bureaucratic approach to government’s relationship with business so that commercial activity in the city can grow.”
Additionally, Rubbo wants to ensure taxes from the 4th district are returned to the district.

 

He states, “Reinvestment of tax dollars in the Fourth District must be sought after, fought for and delivered. McLean Avenue, Yonkers Avenue, Central Park Avenue and Cross County Shopping Center all contribute millions of dollars in tax revenues to the City of Yonkers. These dollars must be reinvested into our district.”

 

Rubbo wants his district to receive its fair share of funding and reinvestment from City Hall for schools, parks, infrastructure, and police and fire stations. Neighborhood improvement initiatives need to be implemented for the district to support projects like business corridor rehabilitation programs.  

 

Rubbo also is running on a “Less is more in government” platform. He states, “Government must focus on keeping our streets safe, building a more competitive urban school district and strengthening the city through smart economic development. With both a state and county government in place, we must embrace the concept of reductions where there are duplications in service. In our schools, there must be a commitment and guarantee that our classrooms will see more budgeted dollars. Desperate times call for desperate measures when it comes to state funding for our schools.”

 
John Rubbo has been actively involved in the Yonkers community, where he has lived his entire life. He is a member of St. John the Baptist parish, and has worked alongside multiple community organizations. John’s community activities include:

          · Yonkers Columbus Day Parade – Chairman & Vice-Chair
          · Relay for Life of Yonkers – Co-Chair
          · The Order Sons of Italy in America – Financial Secretary
          · TUSKS Society – Co-Founder
          · City of Yonkers Republican District Leader
          · Saint John the Baptist Holy Name Society – President
          · Saint John the Baptist Parish Youth Group – Chairman

It’s time to elect the next generation of leadership for Yonkers.

 

City Hall Split Over Who to Support in 4th District Council Race

Dennis Shepard—–John Rubbo

 

The race to replace Liam McLaughlin as councilperson in the Fourth District has gotten more interesting over the past week. At the Yonkers GOP convention last week, Dennis Shepard won the nomination of the party, narrowly defeating Dr. Ron Volino, with Geri Esposito a distant third.

John Rubbo, a former assistant to Mayor Phil Amicone, entered the race late, and did not place his name in nomination at the convention (see previous post). Amicone and others in the mayor’s office advised Rubbo not to run, but he declined the recommendation and resigned from his job at City Hall.

But there is a split in the mayor’s office over who is the preferred candidate in the fourth — with the mayor and his top staff preferring Shepard and the younger staffers wanting Rubbo.

Rubbo shouldn’t expect the public support of any of his young turk friends on the 2nd floor of City Hall — all have been advised not to do so and they have agreed.

All signs point to a GOP primary in the Fourth in September between Shepard, Rubbo and perhaps Esposito and Volino.

Waiting in the wings is the Democratic candidate Mario Degiorgio