By Eric Schoen–This too is Yonkers
It was 10 years ago, maybe a little more. I was in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., traveling along Sunrise Boulevard heading toward the beach. As I made a right turn from Sunrise onto A1A, who did I see but Len Spano, out for what looked like a power walk on a beautiful sunny day!
I pulled over to the side of the very busy road, got his attention by waving and shouted out, “How are you?” He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him, and he smiled and said “Great, thanks. Good to see you.”
So many family friends have retired or wintered in Florida, leaving the cold and snow of Yonkers and the northeast. But I was really happy to see Len, relaxing in the sunshine of Florida as folks shivered back home. He and his dear wife, Josephine, parents to 16 children, truly deserved it.
We lost Len Spano, beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, patriarch of a political dynasty and friend to so many of us, on Sunday. There are tributes online from friends and family, people whose lives he touched in so many beautiful ways.
Democratic politicians who stated that although he was a Republican (there was a time when Republicans ruled the roost in Westchester), he would work together with them to address the needs of the citizenry. And there are Republicans who applauded his ability to work with both sides of the political aisle to get things done.
I was always in awe of the Spano family with 16 children. I wondered what they did in terms of giving gifts at Christmas. How could you feed so many people? When I would pass the house they lived in on Snake Hill (a very big house), I would often see the local bread truck parked in front, which I assumed was delivering many loaves of bread.
How many cars would they need to take 16 children out? Where would the kids park their cars as they grew older and started to drive?
The Len Spano I knew was low-key, not a politician who screamed and shouted (my, we have had so many of them in our country today). He would sit down with those involved in an issue and try to reach a compromise everyone accepted.
He was very realistic, though. There was talk of the county ending the No. 32 bus line that loops through South Yonkers, as ridership was low. The bus ran throughout most of Spano’s district. He fought hard to keep the route, but reminded me that we in southern Westchester were fortunate to have good bus service, as compared to most of the county – much yet to be developed in the 1970s – which did not.
As county clerk, Spano spearhead Westchester’s Handgun Record-Keeping Accountability Act, which improved the process of tracking legally obtained handguns in Westchester County – way before the current controversies on this subject. This, while at the same time being a lifelong member of the NRA.
As budget chairman of the County Board of Legislators, he was instrumental in transforming the Westchester Medical Center from a county hospital into the tertiary care facility that serves the Hudson Valley today.
Len was a Republican and I was a Democrat. I would enjoy seeing him at events when we talk about “things Yonkers.” We would be in a room with so many folks new to Yonkers. Even though there was an age difference between Len and myself, with the Spanos being fifth-generation Yonkersites and my mom’s side of the family being fourth-generation Yonkersites, we shared many wonderful memories or our fair city.
To be honest, now as a columnist, when I have occasional differences of opinion with his son Mike, the mayor of Yonkers, I always think twice about being critical, so as not to upset Len or Josephine. When Nick was incarcerated for something most people would have gotten a slap on the wrist for and a fine, I defended Nick and I felt terrible that his parents had to witness what occurred.
Leo Rosten in “The Joys of Yiddish” defined a mensch as “someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. The key to being ‘a real mensch’ is nothing less than character, rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible, decorous.”
Leonard Spano was a mensch. He will be missed!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show on Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m. on WVOX 1460 AM or go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream.
