Editor’s note: This letter was received several weeks before the City ended up passing ts budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. It took us several weeks to finally reach out
and verify the name and address of the person who wrote the letter. We publish it now because it echoes many of the comments we have heard in our travels across the city.
For anyone who wants to write a letter to the editor, we must first verify your name,
phone number and address, and speak to you in some way – by phone, email or in person
– before we can print your letters, which will remain anonymous if you prefer, as the writer
of this letter does.
Dear Editor:
It seems as though the only remedy these officials can think of is new and creative ways
to sneak in other “taxes” while boasting the whole time that they keep the property taxes
within the tax cap. I read your story about a possible imposition of an onerous garbage collection “fee” for Yonkers residents. I guess the election officials think that the use of the word “fee” does not mean “tax.” (Note: the garbage fee was not enacted).
They really do think we are stupid. They also continue to blame the state, ad nauseum,
for an unfair system of calculating school aid. This despite the fact that only a few short years
ago the Yonkers school system found itself missing $55 million and still functioned before
the so-called mistake was unearthed. Slush fund, anyone?
Last year, $400,000 in revenue was raised by increasing the fee for home improvement
licenses, hot dog peddlers, laundromat operators, etc. These small businesses who never get
the tax breaks those multi-million-dollar developers always seem to have come their way
have had their fees tripled in just more than a decade.
There was also talk in a recent committee meeting of reducing the minimum required
vehicle parking distance from stop signs to 15 feet. The city is already in violation of this
state law, since they placed parking meters almost on top of stop signs in many areas of the
city. More stealth revenue.
The failed Democratic Party candidates ultimately ended up on the city payroll these
last few years. A contractual employee in the Veterans Services Agency, a former elected
official, makes more than the director of the agency. Another councilmember who left office
ended up as a liaison between the mayor and the city council. Does it never end?
No, it doesn’t. The spouse of a current councilmember was given a job by the mayor.
A councilmember who left office last year obtained jobs for his son and daughter via the largesse of the mayor and, according to recent stories, a third family member was just hired.
Two of these jobs are teamster positions – while at the same time the workers of Local
456 will undoubtedly be asked for give-back due to the budget crisis.
Another former councilmember also obtained teamster jobs for siblings during his
term in office. So much for checks and balances in Yonkers between the executive and legislative branches.
We have two deputy DPW commissioners. And, one of them is yet another failed
Democratic candidate for office and party official. The mayor’s chief of staff earns $140,000.
According to a 2017 database of NYS employees, the comptroller of the State of New York’s
salary is $151,084.18. This aide to the mayor makes just $10,000 less than the state comptroller!
Speaking of the comptroller, he recently released two blistering audits of the City of Yonkers. In February, he criticized its failure to have more competitive bidding in the awarding
of lucrative contracts. Last month, the Comptroller’s audit of our overall financial reporting
was a culmination of his annual warnings to us to change our reliance on non-recurring
revenues and over-bonding with the associated debt service, among other issues.
The city has been legally integrated for many years now, yet we still have the dreaded
busing in place. It is a hardship on the children, their parents, and motorists trying to get to
their jobs, and it costs the city tens of millions of dollars each year. I can only imagine who
is making money from keeping this system in place.
I truly hope that, once and for all, the state does not ride to our rescue like a knight in
shining armor. We don’t deserve to be bailed out, yet again. We are on the brink of a third
Emergency Financial Control Board. Shameful. (End of letter.)
Other letters and emails to Yonkers Rising were less angry. Carol G. from Yonkers wrote:
“Mr. Murphy, your coverage of the Yonkers budget this year was an interesting read. My
question for you and our elected officials is: Was anything done to combat the practice of
having city employees boost their salaries in their final year so that they can get a larger
pension? You would think after five years of getting blasted on the front page of the Journal
News, year after year, with the 10 highest salaries, that somebody would stop the practice.
How come we don’t see quarter-of-a-milliondollar salaries for fire and police in other communities?”
Frank Spotorno suggested: “Let’s stop inviting shifty and shady developers, who hire
open shop contractors that don’t abide by the occupational and standard wage and benefits
agreements. If these same developers are getting tax breaks, then there is no clear benefit
to the city. Workers must be paid the standard prevailing wage, or developers pay their fair
share of taxes, or both. Also, let’s double the parking meters in the city. Compared to New
York City, our meters are very low. If our city needs the money, let’s look for other ways to
generate it before coming back to the homeowners for a 6 percent increase.
