By Dan Murphy
We recently sat down for a Zoom interview with Yonkers City Councilwoman Tasha Diaz, who represents the 3rd Council District of Yonkers. Diaz was elected to the City Council in 2019, after City Councilman Michael Sabatino retired from the Council. In little more than one year in office, Diaz has accomplished much in a variety of different areas, but all with the same goal; to help the people who need it in her district.
Recently, Councilwoman Diaz announced that a Good Samaritan, business owner Myles Farkas had agreed to donated $80,000 in PPE to the people of Yonkers. “He saw the need and reached out to me and I’m glad to make it happen. We can help 1600 households stay safe,” said Diaz.
Why did she run for City Council? “I saw the need to help people in my district, and I had to step up. I couldn’t turn a blind eye to the problems that people were experiencing, whether it be tenants’ groups and problems with their landlords, or the infestation of Rats in too many neighborhoods. I promised results and I’m always listening to the community.”
Diaz said that once she was elected, she was able to reach out, and work with, community leaders and some who may not have supported her campaign. “I thank everybody in the community who believed in me and thought that I could do this, but I am also willing to work with anyone, including those who didn’t support my campaign. The fact that I can work with those people, who are now reaching out to me, means a lot.”
Diaz has added her unique style to the City Council, and to most of us who are watching every two weeks, it’s a breath of fresh aid. “My style is just about being honest and being me. If I think that something needs to be said or needs to be looked at, I can’t pass it over. I’m the first woman of color to represent this district, and change isn’t coming, it has come.”
“I think my open and honest style helps me serve the people in the community because they feel like they can relate to me and feel comfortable around me and in sharing their problems with me. I’m from the Southside of Yonkers and these are the people I represent.
“A lot of people judged me when they didn’t know me. But the people who elected me showed me its ok to be different. I think they wanted something different and not your average cookie cutter councilmember. That’s not the person I am. I have to be myself and they respect me for that.
Diaz added that she loves to “fight for her people” and her constituents in the 3rd district. “I’m proud that I was able to get $1 Million in additional funding for devices for students who had to learn from home but didn’t have a computer or laptop at home. I’ve heard it said that I will be a one-term councilwoman. Well, if that’s what God has in store for me then I want to help as many people as possible and let my heart lead me in the right direction.
Diaz picked the Council Education Committee to serve on because, “I felt that education is the strongest need for a lot of students and children in my district. They need the tools to learn, and I found a lot of things that needed to be worked on and implemented. And I will call you out if you don’t show up for my meeting or don’t have the information to give us an answer to our questions.”
Tackling the rat problem in Southwest Yonkers is symbolic of Councilwoman Diaz’s desire to combat anything that is causing problems to her constituents. “I met someone who had success in other areas of cleanup. And he created these Rat Trap Boxes, so that we could estimate where the problems areas were and then work to clean it up. This was a trial program, but it was so successful that we are going to move it to other areas.
Diaz recently questioned a large number of Commissioner of Deeds applications that were being filed with the City Clerks office. Through some simple investigation, Diaz was able to determine that some applications were incorrectly filed and had names misspelled. But the real reason for her concern was that the Clerk’s office was getting flooded with applications but there were no fees coming into the City of Yonkers for the workload. “If a person wants a comm deeds they should pay for it, that was my point.”
Diaz has also investigated tennant complaints, like the ones made at 100 Herriot Avenue. As a result of her getting involved, the landlord has made a $1 Million investment in the building and has made improvements that will make the lives better and easier for the residents. “We sat at the table and talked, and they heard my concerns, which came from the residents. They are donating a dog park and have made the disposal of garbage easier for the older residents.”
Diaz does have something that all effective councilmembers have; an abundance of energy and a desire to consider new ideas and projects. She is working on a program to give purple COVID teddy bears that are sprayed and sanitized, to special needs kids and seniors. “If we can kiss and hug each other, I wanted to give them something they could cuddle. We will be donating them to our hospitals and nursing homes. Sometimes we all need an extra hug.”
“I’m trying to cram everything that I can do for people into my four years. This is my passion and its not about me. Helping people is not work to me, it’s something that I live for. But I do it not because I’m on the council.
Diaz is taking satisfaction in the fact that community organizations and companies that want to help are contacting her to help make it happen. “We are working to get people signed up for vaccinations. We are getting free rides for people to get to their doctor. Sometimes I like to go and hand out food to people who I hear need a little help but won’t go on a line for food. I want people to know that they can call me for anything.
Sometimes Diaz’ brutal honesty, as we call it, can cause tensions occasionally on the City Council. “I know that I won’t always make everyone happy, but at least I’m being honest and in they end, they respect me more. I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to effectuate change because the people in my district have been underserved. I’m not here for political games.
“I have the most interesting district and I can relate to both sides of the district. They all say, we need your voice. For some, I may be too loud, or too boisterous but I’m real and I love my district. That’s what this is about.”
Councilwoman Diaz is also representative of another dynamic in Yonkers politics. “Our City is in different times. We have Jamaal Bowman and Mondaire Jones as our Congressmembers in Westchester. The community is electing people like us who are fighters and who are real. This is my fight now, for the people of Yonkers. They deserve it and we don’t have time to wait.”
Diaz thanked her Legislative Aide Jenika Delgado for her hard work and for helping her serve the people of the Third District. Delgado can be reached at Jenika.delgado@yonkersny.gov, or by calling 914-377-6937.
