The Democratic primary for Yonkers mayor and City Council is less than 30 days away, with a June 25 primary the new reality and the first time that voters will be asked to get out and vote three months early. Mayor Mike Spano is running for a third term and would become the first Yonkers mayor in recent history to serve three consecutive, four-
year terms.
Spano, who has the endorsement from the Yonkers Democratic Party, is being challenged by former Yonkers Parent-Teacher Association President Karen Beltran and community activist Ivy Reeves.
Latinos Unidos of Yonkers, a community group made up of people from diverse immigrant countries, working for the advancement of the Hispanic/Latino community, today endorsed Mayor Mike Spano for re-election, noting his success in promoting the City’s Hispanic/Latino community and working for better education, better jobs, and better housing. “Jobs, education and housing are the most important issues to any immigrant community, and Mayor Spano has made them a priority,” said Alfonso Alvarez “He has a strong record of serving the Hispanic/Latino community, which is why we are endorsing him for another four years.”
Spano has also led the way in diversifying the City’s leadership and workforce. “Thanks to Mayor Spano we have the City’s first Latino Judge, the first Latino Superintendent of Schools and Board of Trustees President, not to mention other Latino Trustees, department heads, a Latina Chair of the Public Library, and increased Latino employment throughout City Government,” said Pedro Alvarez, noting that under Spano the number of applicants for police and fire civil services test has also increased significantly .
Luis Muniz, also noted that Mayor Spano instituted the City’s first pre-apprenticeship program to qualify young men and women for construction jobs. Of the inaugural class, 24 of the 25 participants were men and women of color.
Latinos Unidos of Yonkers also noted that Mayor Spano created the City’s first Hispanic Advisory Committee, created the first affordable housing ordinance, and has long spoken out in favor of immigration reform.
“It is important to the Hispanic/Latino community of Yonkers that we endorse someone with a proven record in the past and a commitment to even more progress in the future. That person is Mike Spano, and that’s why we stand with him,” Judith Ramos Meier concluded.
