By Dan Murphy
Ever since Mike Khader was elected City Council president in November 2017, he has served as an independent voice on the City Council that he presides over, and usually is the swing vote between the council’s three republicans and his three democratic colleagues.
Khader has shown his independence, and willingness to make his own decisions based on what he sees as what is best for the people of Yonkers, in several votes in his first year and a half in office.
Perhaps the biggest vote for the council in 2018 was to modify term limits, from a total of eight to 12 years. While the measure to extend term limits passed, Khader voted no. “I voted against term limits because I didn’t like the process and the way it came to us for a vote,” he said.
Another, normally routine and unanimous vote on the council was to renew the contract of the auditor, Nick DeSantis. Khader voted no on a new contract for DeSantis, “not because I didn’t respect his work, but because I think we needed a new set of eyes on our budget,” he said.
A recent budget transfer was also a no vote for Khader, because “departments need to be held accountable and should be able to live within the budgets they submitted and we approved.”
And this week, Khader voted against an increase of fees in the building department because “the taxpayers shouldn’t be nickeled and dimed with higher fees, water rates, all on top of the property taxes we all pay,” he said.
Many of Khader’s no votes are without the support of his democratic colleagues, or anyone else, and that is OK with him. “As we head into our council budget hearings, I take it as a compliment if they call me independent, or they may not know how I’m going to vote,” he said. “I appreciate that and I think the people who voted for me appreciate my independence.”
Khader has also tried to get the city and the council to take a look at the city budget, and the yearly budgetary challenges of the Yonkers Public Schools, in a different way. “Instead of looking at what we can do, but instead criticize what we can’t do,” he said. “I have requested an organizational chart from the Board of Education. During our budget hearings, we bring in every city department head and go over their budget. But with the Board of Education we only review the Central Office administration as a whole and then student support. With a YPS budget of $645 million, I think we need to break down how our tax dollars are spent a bit more.”
Last year, Khader called out YPS during an extra hot summer day when students were kept in sweltering classrooms without air-conditioning, instead of being sent home early. That drew the wrath from many on the Board of Education, who were not used to Khader’s candor.
“Far too often, we keep raising taxes and the problems that exist in our schools never get solved,” he said. “That’s why I want more review and analysis by the City Council. If we were solving our problems, then I would be more inclined to approve the tax increases and stay quiet.”
Khader’s colleagues in city government have mixed reviews on his first two years as council president. “He’s all over the map, and he’s trying to be a centrist democrat in a progressive world,” said one city official. “He tries to stay organized but doesn’t seem to get anything done to completion. The insiders at City Hall don’t like him, but he tries to get along with his colleagues on the council. He is independent; I give him that.”
Support for Khader and his methods come from inside the democratic party in Yonkers. One ward leader told Yonkers Rising: “I think Mike Khader is a breath of fresh air, and his independent streak should be no surprise to anyone. He was elected basically without the help of anyone but his own inner circle. Anyone who thought he would just get in line and vote the way the mayor or the party wants doesn’t get it.”
Khader appears ready to continue the work he was elected to do, and to do it his way. “Since taking office, I’ve done my best to stay attuned to the pulse of the people,” he said. “That’s why I’ll never vote to nickel-and-dime taxpayers, and always take time to make sure things are done right. When we do things the same way for a long time, it can lead to us getting comfortable, and getting comfortable can end up costing our residents.
“Public service is a privilege, not a right. Sometimes that means going against the grain, and taking a stance that won’t give us a 7-0 vote. Sometimes, things need to be shaken up. “
