By Dan Murphy
Karen Beltran, a longtime Yonkers resident, education advocate, attorney, homeowner, mother and lifelong democrat is running for Yonkers Mayor and currently collecting signatures to get on the ballot for a democratic primary to be held on June 25. During our interview, Beltran listed several reasons why she is running for Mayor, and attempting to secure a place on the primary ballot against incumbent Mayor Mike Spano.
“I think Yonkers is due for a fresh start, and I believe that I am just as capable and qualified to lead the City, and the people of Yonkers also deserve to have a choice at the ballot box,” said Beltran, who brings many years of experience and volunteerism from her work in the Yonkers Public Schools, where she served as President of the Yonkers Council of PTA/PTSAs (YCPTA) from July 2014-July 2016. Prior to that she served as recording secretary for YCPTA from July 2012 to July 2014, and also has served as the Region Director for the Westchester –East Putnam Region PTA (WEPR) from May 2016 to May 2017.
Her deep ties to the education community, and to the parents, students and staff in the YPS, will be an asset to her campaign. Beltran’s family has been in Yonkers since the 1970’s and she attended the Yonkers Public Schools, attending Enrico Fermi School for the Performing Arts, Emerson Junior High School and Charles E. Gorton High School, Class of 1998. She went onto SUNY Purchase and SUNY Buffalo School of Law. She is a practicing attorney in the family court system and has three children, ages 23,20 and 11, and a life partner of 21 years.
Beltran identified three issues that she is hearing while traveling the City collecting signatures; Education, economic development and term limits. “People are interested that our education system continues to improve. They also have concerns about economic development and how it can benefit the community, and the need for more affordable housing,” said Beltran.
Beltran was most articulate during our interview on the question of term limits. Many supporters of extending term limits from 8 years to 12 years last year had openly questioned why, if there was no much opposition to extending term limits, then why hadn’t other candidates stepped forward to run for office.
Beltran is one of those candidates. “People are confused and term limits and the extension. Mayor Spano has served two terms now, and there has been improvement in the City overall, especially in public safety. But I do think that two terms is enough and there are qualified leaders ready to lead the city and expand on the improvements, and bring new ideas. I think there is an appetite for that and people expected that before the council vote last year.”
When asked if she thought the vote to extend term limits last year by 5 members of the council was a mistake, Beltran clarified, “I believe the manner in which it was arranged was a mistake. It should have been addressed in a referendum to give the people the final say.”
Right now, Beltran’s #1 priority is getting enough signatures to get on the ballot. Because this year, the dates for collecting signatures was moved up to create one state and federal primary, the number of signatures required to run for Mayor this year were reduced from 1000 to 750. “It is a rewarding process to go out and meet people and explain what it means to get on the ballot. We have a group of volunteers that is helping to do that. It is a challenge but we are succeeding and I am confident that I will have enough democratic signatures to qualify,” said Beltran.
As her volunteers collect signatures, they hand out a flyer which reads, Why I am Running: As a longtime resident of Yonkers, I care about issues facing the families and children of Yonkers. I care about improving our schools, about attracting and retaining good paying jobs for Yonkers residents, about ensuring the availability of affordable housing for all, about fostering fair economic development that benefits all residents immediately, about the provision of quality community services, about protecting our environment, about increasing public safety, about representative civic engagement, about the arts and everything that will allow Yonkers to reach its full potential. I know what it means to travel the difficult road toward the “American Dream” and I believe I have shared the stories and experiences of so many of our city’s residents.
If she gets on the ballot, what is her message to the voters? “We do need to continue to improve our schools and improve our safety, and make sure that we attract developers who contribute to our city with the goal to make Yonkers the best it can be. I’m qualified to make that happen and people do want to see a change in leadership in our city.”
Democrat Ivy Reeves is also running for Mayor and collecting signatures to get on the ballot. Republicans have nominated Mario De Giorgio as their candidate for Mayor.
