Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, left, with Mayor Mike Spano, right
The biggest endorsement so far in the race for Yonkers Mayor came last week, when Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins endorsed Mayor Mike Spano for reelection.
“I am proud to endorse Mayor Mike Spano for re-election as the Mayor of Yonkers. Mayor Spano has done a tremendous job at leading the City of Yonkers, and certainly has done tremendous work not only bringing $5 billion of economic development in the City of Yonkers, but rebuilding all of the public housing and making sure that we are doing great work in our public school system.”
“Yonkers is on the move and the jobs not done. I’m proud to support Mayor Spano and I ask that you all join me in voting for him on the June 27th Primary day. “
Spano is running for reelection in the democratic primary in Yonkers against City Councilwoman Corazon Pineda-Issac, and educator Margaret Fountain-Coleman.
Pineda-Issac also has a job in Westchester County government, so the endorsement from Jenkins, the 2nd ranking official in county government, for Spano is even more noteworthy. Jenkins has been rumored to be the leading candidate for County Executive in 2025.
The endorsement from Jenkins points to the broad support and recognition of Spano’s successful leadership and his dedication to improving the lives of Yonkers residents.
So far the democratic primary campaign for Mayor has been quiet, based on the history of Yonkers Mayoral politics. Perhaps that is because the voters are satisfied with Mayor Mike Spano. Or they are less engaged that in prior years in local politics.
The two other democratic candidates for Mayor, Corazon Pineda-Isaac, and Margaret Fountain-Coleman, have had to combat a popular Mayor and voter apathy.
Pineda-Isaac has used whatever political capital she had with the voters to push forward a narrative about Spano family nepotism. Yes the Spano’s have a large family, and yes many members of the Spano family work for the city of Yonkers, most as civil servants.
But despite Pineda-Isaacs claims of corruption, both the Westchester DA and the NYAG have passed on any criminal probe…because it is not a crime to have a large family and have those family members work in civil service.
And in our travels around Yonkers, people we speak to either already knew about the Spano family and their work for the city, or they are more concerned about crime, education and taxes.
Margaret Fountain Coleman has used her experience as an educator to discuss the Yonkers Public Schools and other issues. Her problem is that many voters don’t know her. A lack of funding has hampered both Pineda-Isaac’s and Coleman’s campaign.
But we are not sure that even if one or both had more campaign funds that it would make a difference.
Ken Jenkins endorsement of Spano is symbolic of what many Yonkers democrats are feeling: That overall, the City of Yonkers, and the people of Yonkers, have fared well under Mayor Mike Spano.
Another problem for Coleman and Pineda-Isaac is that the republican candidate for Mayor, Councilman Anthony Merante, has started his campaign early; too early in the view of many.
Merante is not on the primary ballot, only in November. Yet he came out with an endorsement from former Mayor Phil Amicone and other positions, that as one Yonkers democrat told us, “just takes away any political oxygen that was out there for Corazon or Margaret. It benefits Merante if he lets them both of them make it a contest against Spano.”
In his Op-Ed response Mayor Spano said, “Councilwoman Pineda-Isaac doesn’t mention her own sister went to work for the city of Yonkers well after she was elected, or that her mother also has a government position. Pineda-Isaac herself holds a patronage position in the Westchester County Department of Economic Development in addition to her council member job in Yonkers. That’s four government jobs in her own immediate family. Is this really a basis to criticize others?”
We also take note of the fact that both Merante and Pineda-Issac worked with and supported most of Mayor Spano’s initiatives and budgets. Now that both are running for Mayor, they have tried to distance themselves from the successes that they both voted for on the council in support of Spano.
And that is the other dilemma facing all three of Spano’s opponents. Do they acknowledge the improvements and steps forward the city has taken under Mayor Spano? Or ignore the positive and go all negative?
Another Yonkers democrat said, “What they should have run on is, Mayor Spano we thank you for your 12 years of service. Now it is time to move on. But instead they went negative and attacked the Spano family.”
