for Yonkers. Photo by Donna Davis
By Dan Murphy
Angelo Martinelli was many things in his long, rich life of 91 years that ended last week. But most of all, he was forever known as “Mayor” for his service to the City of Yonkers and its people from 1974 to 1979, and from 1982 to 1987.
Mayor Martinelli was the longest-serving mayor in Yonkers history, and the only mayor to have made a comeback and get elected after leaving City Hall. Most Yonkers mayors in recent memory tend to take a step back and fade away a bit. But not Mayor Martinelli, who continued his service to Yonkers, and his influence on the lives of the people of the city, for more than 30 years after his last day as mayor.
Martinelli’s continued service, as chairman of the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Police Athletic League, were his two most important and effective roles, post-mayor. In the many conversations that Yonkers Rising had with Mayor Martinelli, he enjoyed telling the story about he was able to turn around the financial prospects of PAL.
Martinelli touched the lives of many in Yonkers, some who gave a last good-bye on Social Media. “Angelo Martinelli was responsible for inspiring me to pursue politics and community
involvement in the fall of 1984 when I was a senior at Saunders H.S.,” said Mike Ciriello.
“His passing today is not just a personal loss, but a loss for the entire City of Yonkers. Thank
you for mentoring me, for introducing me to your kind and generous family, and for your
strong and bipartisan leadership during some of Yonkers’ toughest times. We all owe you a
great debt of gratitude for a lifetime of service. I have been guided, and will always live by
your words ‘I’d rather tell the truth and lose an election than to win by lying to the people
– at least I can sleep at night.’ Sleep well, Mr. Mayor.”
“Our hearts are saddened today,” said Mayor Mike Spano. “We have lost a great man, a selfless public servant and a beloved father and grandfather. Mayor Martinelli is synonymous with Yonkers in every way and his contributions to our city, like his legacy, will live on forever. Please keep his beautiful family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
Spano’s statement included more of Mayor Martinelli’s highlights, which included re-constituting the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency, conceiving the historic Putnam Rail Line, beginning the annual holiday celebrations in Getty Square, and bringing back the historic Yonkers Marathon to the city.
As mayor, Martinelli also began the effort to revitalize the Yonkers downtown-waterfront, which was a different scene in the 1980s than it is today. Specifically, Martinelli fought to make the downtown Yonkers train station a stop for Amtrak.
Spano and the city honored Martinelli for his work at the train station last year, and he retold the story to us – one of the many stories he remembered and told with luster.
“It irked me that Amtrak never stopped in Yonkers, which at the time was the fourth-largest city in New York,” he said. “With the help of then U.S.-Sen. Al D’Amato, we were able to get a meeting with Amtrak. So I went down to Washington and the minute we walked into Amtrak’s office, the first words out of the director were, ‘It’s good to see you, mayor. Thanks for coming, but you are not going to get what you want.’
“When I asked why, he explained that once the Amtrak train leaves Penn Station it picks up so much speed that it would be unproductive to stop in Yonkers. I asked him, then why does it stop in Elizabeth, N.J., which is closer to Penn Station than Yonkers? He looked at me funny because I stumped him. He agreed to come to Yonkers to take a look at it and eventually we got Amtrak to stop in downtown Yonkers.”
Martinelli’s can-do attitude was evident for all of us to see. He is also known by many for his role in the Yonkers desegregation case, which was recently memorialized in the HBO miniseries “Show Me a Hero,” with actor Jim Belushi playing Mayor Martinelli. In another conversation with Yonkers Rising, Martinelli wanted to make sure that history, and his role in it during this crisis, was properly told, and that Martinelli had wanted to stop the “madness”
that had ensued with the federal government imposing millions of dollars a day against the City of Yonkers for noncompliance with the desegregation order.
Another part of Martinelli’s legacy was his ability to “work a room” and use that gift to raise money for the many causes and organizations he was a part of. He twisted arms and made sure those who could afford it dipped into their pockets, and all for a good cause. Following is his obituary.
Farewell, Mayor Martinelli.
Angelo R. Martinelli, the longtime former mayor of Yonkers, passed away peacefully in his sleep early Saturday morning. He was born in the Bronx on Sept. 13, 1927 to Ralph and Rose Martinelli and grew up in Mount Vernon, where he graduated from A.B. Davis High School. Angelo met the love of his life, Carol Madatto, at RKO Proctor’s where he worked as an usher and she a cashier. They were married in 1949 and began raising their family at 20 North 7th Ave., before settling in Yonkers in 1960.
His business roots were already there where he owned his printing company, Gazette Press, Inc., and began his lifetime membership in the Exchange Club, among countless other organizations. He entered the world of politics in the early 1970s and was elected mayor six times, earning the title which he was pleased to carry for the rest of his life. Proud of the many businesses he was able to introduce to Yonkers, he is most remembered for his principled stand leading the city through the early tumult of the desegregation crisis and featured in the HBO miniseries “Show Me A Hero” (where he was played by his future friend Jim Belushi).
The mayor may have lost an election doing what he thought right, but he earned the growing respect of his community.
Angelo was also an entrepreneur who published magazines that would develop into the family business, Today Media, Inc., where he, as chairman of the board, relished the success of Westchester Magazine and Hudson Valley Magazine, as well as Delaware Today and Main Line Today.
And he may have left City Hall, but the mayor was a ceaseless promoter of his beloved City of Yonkers, serving as chairman of the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce, the Queen’s Daughters Day Care Center and the Police Athletic League of Yonkers. He was president of Henry S. Richards Boys & Girls Club and also proud of his service as a board member of Hudson Valley Bank, St. Joseph’s Medical Center and Untermyer Gardens Conservancy.
Angelo was a devout Catholic and philanthropist who was honored to become a Knight of Malta.
He was a die-hard fan of his beloved NY Yankees and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. And ask his children or grandchildren about his competitive nature, whether on the golf course, the crap table or playing Monopoly.
Above all, he loved his family. He was delighted to fund the magnificent restoration of the Temple of Love in Untermyer Park in honor of the memory of his marriage of 65 years to his beloved wife, Carol. They were so proud of the accomplishments of each of their six sons, their daughters-in-law and their grandchildren.
Words are so inadequate to describe his life, but he can be counted in the very first rank whether as a husband, father, brother, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend or volunteer. Angelo touched the lives of countless people with his boundless enthusiasm, generosity, support, selflessness and love. He will be missed by all who were lucky enough to have known him.
He is survived by his brother Patrick (wife Valerie); and his sons Michael (wife Jeanne), Paul (wife Lori), Robert (wife Alice), Richard (wife Beth Ann), Tom (wife Kathy) and Ralph (fiancé Halina). He is also survived by the next generations of Martinellis, his grandchildren, Jeanette, Michael Jr. (and wife Jeanna), Lyda Jo (and husband Andreas), Chris (and wife Tami), Nick (and wife Bari), Christen, Jacqueline, Richard Jr., Rose (and husband Matthew), Jack, Sean, MacKenzie and David; and his great-grandchildren Stefano, Ryan, Nick Jr., Macy, Max, Lucas, Devin, Angelo, and the anxiously awaited Domenica.
The funeral service was held at the Sinatra Memorial Home in Yonkers and Mass of Christian Burial at the Monastery Church of the Sacred Heart on Friday at 10:15 a.m.
