By Dan Murphy
Last week we wrote about the possibility of Mayor Mike Spano running for a fourth term next year, which would require a repeal of term limits, either through a city council vote or a referendum to amend the City Charter.
But what if Mayor Spano decides that he does not want to run for another term as Mayor, or if the voters reject the idea of repealing term limits? Who are the possible candidates to succeed Spano?
The short answer is, many Yonkers elected officials and leaders are interested, and believe that they can get elected Mayor. This should come as no surprise, based on the fact that Spano has held the office for 11 years, which has built up the number of candidates who have had to wait for more than a decade to throw their hat in the ring.
So this is the first of many stories on the many candidates who want to lead New York’s third largest City. We will focus on who wants to be Mayor, and not who could be elected Mayor. There are a number of prominent elected officials from Yonkers who we believe could be Mayor, but will not run, because they are happy in their current posts, or have their eye on a run for another office.
The two names we have heard for several months are City Council members John Rubbo and Corazon Pineda-Isaac. Both have been raising money and gathering support behind the scenes, but both have waited for Mayor Spano to make a decision before moving forward.
Pineda-Isaac held a fund raiser this summer which was attended by County Executive George Latimer and Mayor Spano. And a few Yonkers democrats that we have spoken to said that “Corazon is leaning towards running, but she hasn’t made up her mind yet.”
Another Yonkers democrat told us, “Corazon is happy where she is at in her life, as a Councilwoman and in her work for the county. And she has a young family, its a lot to juggle.”
Rubbo also has a young family, but believes that the time is right to run for Mayor. Rubbo is also waiting for a decision from Spano. “He (Rubbo) has the experience on the council, and as a local businessman. He is more than qualified to run and would run with a positive message about the future of Yonkers,” said one Yonkers democrat.
Two other Yonkers democrats are frequently mentioned when we talk to political leaders in the City. One is DPW Commissioner and Yonkers Democratic Chair Tom Meier, and Assemblyman Nader Sayegh. “I think that Tom Meier and Nader Sayegh would both make great candidates for Mayor and both can win,” said a Yonkers Ward Leader. “They have both paid their dues and supported other democrats for decades. Maybe now is the time for them, but I hope they both don’t run.”
More recently, City Council Majority Leader Tasha Diaz has tossed out the idea of a run for Mayor. “Tasha would be a different kind of candidate for Mayor, just like she was a different candidate for City Council. She tells it like it is, and for a lot us in Yonkers, she is a breath of fresh air. Look out for Tasha if she wants to run.”
Much more to come, we have a half dozen more possible Mayoral candidates to share with you. And send us your predictions to dmurphy@risingmediagroup.com.
