Yonkers City Councilwoman Tasha Diaz announced on January 17 that she is running for Yonkers City Council President. In an email to Yonkers democrats, Councilwoman Diaz writes,
Dear my fellow Democrats,
I am writing to you today to proudly declare my candidacy for Yonkers City Council President. My past 5 years on the City Council has been hallmarked by a focus on PUBLIC SERVICE. I have worked tirelessly on fighting for my constituents to fully fund our schools, improve quality of life for every corner of our city, and bring real attention to our seniors. I want to bring my constituent orientated approach to the Office of the City Council President, where I will be accessible and deliver on the needs to every constituent across Yonkers. As a District Leader for many years, I have stood strong in supporting the efforts of this City Committee under the leadership of Chairman Meier whether during the redistricting of City Council Districts or joining fellow district leaders every year in March to get our candidates on the ballot.
On the other hand, the incumbent City Council President’s 1st term in office has been hallmarked by SELF SERVICE. Despite receiving a salary much higher than the average median income in Yonkers for the part-time role as City Council President, Lakisha Collins-Bellamy first order of business when elected was to secure a lucrative arrangement at the Municipal Housing Agency for the City of Yonkers (MHACY), which is the agency responsibility for overseeing our city’s affordable housing. Lakisha Collins-Bellamy used her influence as City Council President to secure this lucrative arrangement by MHACY. Not only is this arrangement a clear conflict of interest, but I believe Collins-Bellamy’s employment was and continues to be a no-show job where illicit activity occurred.
I have been a staunch supporter of Mayor Spano and his agenda to keep the city moving forward. The word racist is a strong word, and when our former Congressman called Mayor Mike Spano a racist, I was proud to go on public record and state the truth- that our Mayor stands for inclusion, respect, and that as a woman of color, I stand with Mike Spano any day. In my eyes, the word racist does not define our Mayor. Lakisha Collins-Bellamy ran to the hills and refused to state the truth and defend our Mayor against unwarranted attacks.
I understand I will be an underdog in this race, but this is not unusual for me considering I was an underdog my first campaign for City Council in 2019. I hope you can consider supporting my campaign and please feel free to reach out with any questions. Thank you for your time and consideration,” writes Diaz.
Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy is running for reelection. If both Diaz and Collins-Bellamy collect enough signatures to get on the ballot, the two will face off in a democratic primary in June.
Other rumored democratic candidates are interested in running for Council President. We wait for them to formally announce their candidacy and also wait to see who the Yonkers Republican Party will nominate.
