By Dan Murphy
The Democratic primary in Yonkers will be held June 25, and will feature a race for mayor, with incumbent Mike Spano seeking a third term, challenged by Karen Beltran and Ivy Reeves.
Spano is running on a theme of “Progress, Principles and Pride,” with the Spano campaign clearly believing its record of the past seven and a half years, along with a future vision of Yonkers, will lead to victory.
“I could not be more proud of what we’ve accomplished since 2012, yet I’m even more excited about what’s on the horizon,” said Spano. “My administration has made monumental progress in the areas of creating jobs, increasing housing, protecting our environment, improving our schools and making Yonkers safer.”
Spano’s vision and message to the voters while knocking on the doors the last several months has been, “Let’s keep moving Yonkers forward together,” and he said he is getting a positive reception from individual voters and families as he goes door-to-door.
“One-on-one is my favorite way to campaign,” he said. “I started early so I can have conversations with as many people as possible.” In every corner of the city, he has delivered progressive results, said Spano.
Spano will run on his record as mayor of Yonkers for the past eight years, including economic growth. Under Spano’s leadership, more than $3 billion in private investment has entered the city. This historical achievement has revitalized the Yonkers waterfront and created thousands of new construction and permanent jobs.
When it comes to housing, more than $250 million has been dedicated to restoring nearly 2,000 housing units. Spano has advocated for stronger rent protections and created affordable housing requirements.
In regard to education, he has increased funding for Yonkers Public Schools to record levels, and graduation rates have improved by 14 percent – the highest rate of any large city in New York State.
As for the environment, water conservation has been promoted with new water meters, new electric vehicle charging stations have been installed, and all streetlights have been converted to energy efficient LED.
Also, by prioritizing safety in Yonkers, the city has been named the safest of its size recently by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Since taking office more than seven years ago, overall crime has been reduced by 40 percent under Spano’s leadership.
“Yonkers is one of the most diverse cities in the country and is one of the strongest cities in the country,” said Spano. “As much as we’ve accomplished in a short amount of time, we must remain focused on the immediate future, because Yonkers’ greatest days are right around the corner.”
The other two candidates in the Democratic primary for Yonkers mayor are Karen Beltran and Ivy Reeves. Primary Day this year is June 25, the fi rst time that local primaries have been moved up to June from September. Spano held a kick off fundraiser this week.
