Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy
By Dan Murphy
Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy is not your typical politician. In fact, I don’t find her to be a politician at all. She is a public servant, who performs the duties of her office without seeking credit, or applause from the voters.
Over the past two years, I have watched Council President Collins-Bellamy preside over council meetings in a professional manner, commenting when she deems it important, but not having to chime in on every item on the agenda.
I was outraged and disappointed when I heard Collins-Bellamy say that her office had received phone calls that cursed her decision to support pay raises for the council and mayor by including the N-Word.
For someone to take the time, during the holiday season to make such a horrendous comment is an insult to the thousands of Yonkers voters who elected Collins-Bellamy, and to those who have admired the way in which she has conducted the business of the city of Yonkers.
At the last council meeting, former Council President Mike Khader commented in opposition to the pay raises. But he added, “Council President Bellamy, you promised to adhere to transparency and ethics in government, a stark contrast between rhetoric and reality. You have fallen short of that committment. Your legacy is an extension of term limits and a pay raise tone deaf to the concerns -self enrichment.”
Many people in attendance thought that Khader’s comments were ill advised. Perhaps this was the beginning of a rematch between Khader and Collins-Bellamny. While Khader criticized Collins-Bellamy’s record, we disagree.
Over the past two years, the Council President has worked as a team with her colleagues on the council and Mayor Mike Spano. This Council President does not grandstand, and try to take credit for every initiative.
In fact, Collins-Bellamy only responded to several comments from speakers, including Khader, about the job of Council President not being a part-time job in reality. Instead of engaging with the former Council President she defeated, she took the high road.
A review of Council President Khader’s record of achievement during his one term is not very long, It was unprofessional and demeaning to his former office to attack the current Council President. He should have kept his comments to the item at hand, the salary increases, and left it at that.
This type of criticism of a sitting elected official of the third largest city in New York State is unusual. We have not seen this in our coverage over 20 years.
So let me take a moment to tell our readers what I have seen in the first two years of City Council President Collins-Bellamy. Professionalism, appearances at events around the city, a willingness to take the time to understand and explain the items before the council, and a no nonsense approach to presiding over the legislative body of Yonkers.
The people of Yonkers don’t care how many photos you are in. They also don’t care about what you are wearing (another undignified attack that we have read on social media).
They just want someone who they can trust will do the right thing. And they have put their trust in Collins-Bellamy, and not Khader, do to just that. And this reporter can attest that she has done that.
And all the while having to endure racist phone calls during the holidays. Don’t let the bastards get you down, Council President.
Have a Merry and Joyus Christmas!
