By Dan Murphy
The first of two dozen 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls came to Westchester last week, with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar visiting the county’s largest city, Yonkers. Klobuchar’s visit was part of a teachers’ union event to tour local schools and to underscore the need to rebuild the nation’s crumbling schools.
Klobuchar, who was joined by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, visited Gorton High School in Yonkers, perhaps the oldest operating high school in Westchester, built more than 100 years ago.
“This is an incredible community, and the spirit of those kids is something I will take with me as I campaign across the country,” she said. “This is a school run by great people and great teachers, but they are doing everything on a shoestring. These kids deserve better than this school, which is over 100 years old, if we are going to compete on the world stage.”
Klobuchar has presented a $1 trillion infrastructure plan to help rebuild roads, railroads and public building including schools as a key part of her presidential campaign. She plans to pay for it by reversing the Trump tax cuts.
“The infrastructure plan that I’ve introduced places a major emphasis on schools,” she said. “I spent an hour with these kids, who are our future. All of these immigrant kids are succeeding against all odds, and that’s the lesson I take away from being in Yonkers; immigrants don’t diminish America, they are America. These kids deserve better.”
Klobuchar is currently in seventh place in the polls, behind Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttegig.
Klobuchar also visited School 9 in Yonkers, another aging elementary school, before holding a Town Hall meeting organized by AFT and the Yonkers Federation of Teachers at Yonkers Middle/High School. Joining Klobuchar on the tour was Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, YPS Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada, Gorton High School Principal William Shaggura, School 9 Principal Dr. Robert Vicuna, and YFT President Samantha Rosado-Ciriello.
Yonkers Public Schools has submitted a $2 billion Rebuild Yonkers Schools program, including a Phase I of $523 million. Yonkers says it hopes Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislators will increase the state reimbursement for capital improvements and schools construction.
“What troubles me the most is that school infrastructure is not part of the national conversation, with you being the exception,” Quezada told Klobuchar.
AFT President Randi Weingarten added, “We need the help of the federal government to focus on school infrastructure… just like what (President) Eisenhower did with roads.” Weingarten is holding a presidential endorsement process for the AFT’s 1.7 million members, including the 2,000 Yonkers teachers and YFT members.
Klobuchar also included school safety as part of her Westchester visit, and discussed the bipartisan bill she passed with former republican U.S. Sen. Orin Hatch, which increased school safety after the Parkland, Fla., school shootings.
Klobuchar was wise to be the first Democratic presidential hopeful to visit Westchester, and Yonkers, which has a deep history of presidential candidate visits. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon campaigned in Yonkers, as did 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton during her campaign.
Clinton, who lives in Chappaqua, won Westchester by a 65%-31% margin over Donald Trump in 2016 and won New York State by a 59%-37% margin. Whoever is the republican nominee can expect the same type of margin of victory, in deep Democratic Westchester and New York.
