One of the most interesting democratic primaries in Westchester is happening in Yonkers, with two popular incumbents facing off against each other. Yonkers City Councilwoman Shanae Williams is challenging County Legislator Christopher Johnson for his Board of Legislators seat in District 16.
We Endorse Williams for County Board and here’s why.
Williams has served on the City Council since 2018 and has been a voice for the community. She wanted to stand up for the children in the Yonkers Public Schools to make sure they were getting access to a good quality education. She wanted to help provide more affordable housing for families so they wouldn’t be forced out of Yonkers as economic development boomed. She wanted to help the homeless population get access to services and off the streets. She wanted to improve the quality of life for residents in the first district.
Williams has been a fierce advocate for the young people in Yonkers, and each year she has voted to increase funding that the City of Yonkers provides to the Board of Education. As a result, Yonkers Public School children now have access to sports, arts, music, more counselors, psychologists, and safety officers.
The City of Yonkers is the leader in Westchester County in terms of the number of Affordable Housing units being constructed and Williams has been at the forefront of addressing this issue. She was the primary sponsor of the 20% affordable housing ordinance, and she continues to push for and support developments that provide 100% of their units for affordable housing.
We are most impressed with her work, and advocacy for the homeless during her time on the council and in this race for County Legislator. In 2018 she formed a homelessness taskforce so they could be a voice for the homeless, find solutions and make recommendations to Westchester County on how to best serve the homeless. Throughout the years Williams office has been a safe space for many homeless and has hosted several toiletry and clothing drives for them. In addition, Williams worked with Mayor Spano and her colleagues on the Council to fund Project Connect, which is an outreach program facilitated by Westhab. They intentionally work with the street homeless to get them inside a facility so they can get food, showers, beds, and access to caseworkers which has been successful.
Legislator Christopher Johnson has served on the County Board for the past six years. Recently, information has been reported about Johnson’s ownership of an affordable condo unit, and the recent purchase of a home outside of his district.
Johnson’s explanation about where he is living and why he continues to maintain an affordable housing unit is confusing. We respect Johnson’s call to keep his family out of the issue, but we remind him that he used his family as an explanation or an excuse for one media story.
Johnson was also involved in redrawing the county legislative districts, and his new home is included in the newly redrawn 16th district. But those lines are not in effect yet and are being challenged. If Johnson doesn’t currently live in the 16th district, he certainly should not be reelected.
We also remind our readers that Westchester County government, and not the City of Yonkers, has a responsibility to care for the homeless. Johnson has represented Yonkers for the past six years, and during that time the issue of homelessness in Yonkers has not improved and may be worse.
Shanae Williams has been an independent voice on the Council. She is the endorsed Democratic candidate for Westchester County Legislator, District 16. She hopes to take her experience to Westchester County to fight for an expansion of affordable housing, improve county services for families and those in need, protect the youth and provide more positive alternatives for them, and address the growing mental health and substance abuse crisis that so many people are struggling with in Yonkers.
Yonkers Rising and Yonkerstimes.com. endorses Shanae Williams for Westchester County Legislator. The Democratic Primary is June 27, 2023. Democrats can vote early from June 17th to the 25th at the Riverfront Library, the Will Library, or the Nodine Hill Community Center. To learn more about Shanae Williams’ platform for County Legislator visit www.ShanaeWilliams.com.
