De Giorgio Running as Long Shot GOP Candidate
By Dan Murphy
The election of 2019 in Yonkers is less than 30 days away, and so far leading the top of the election ballot is a race for mayor. Incumbent Democrat Mike Spano is running for re-election, and his republican challenger is retired businessman Mario De Giorgio.
We recently interviewed De Giorgio, who said the first thing he wants the voters in Yonkers to know is that there is an election Nov. 5 for mayor. “I’m running a real campaign for mayor,” he said. “We are trying with the limited help we are getting, to get the message out. I can help turn around this city.”
De Giorgio acknowledged that he has an uphill challenge in trying to beat Mayor Mike Spano, who even he said “is doing a good job.” But as he goes out to campaign and meet with voters, De Giorgio has heard several issues of concern from residents.
“The number-one issue I hear about is the decision to extend term limits,” said De Giorgio. “The voters I’m speaking to don’t like that decision. I believe in term limits – locally, statewide and nationally – and any change must be voted on by the people. There was no reason for the council to extend term limits; it was rejected two times by the people who voted against any change. But the City Council took it upon themselves to extend their terms and allow the mayor to run for a third term. And that’s why Michael Spano is on the ballot again this year.”
Last year, the City Council voted to extend term limits to allow a third, four-year term for councilmembers and the mayor.
De Giorgio has ramped up his campaign in the final weeks. Last weekend, he spent 10 hours at the McLean Avenue Fall Festival and Columbus Day Parade ceremonies and events. At some of these events, De Giorgio said believes he is not getting the respect he deserves, and the same can be said for his mayoral campaign.
“I’m the republican candidate for mayor,” he said. “It’s the top spot on the ballot and in our city. Show me, and the office that I’m running for, a little respect. I’m not a career politician and I’m not afraid to open my mouth and get things done. If someone has a real problem, I will help them with that problem, regardless of where the chips fall. I will be a pro-active mayor and I’m going to surprise people. I’m not superman but I will be a super mayor.”
How did De Giorgio get to become the republican nominee for mayor?
“In February, I was driving home and got a call and was asked to consider running for mayor,” he said. “Then I met with the executive committee of the Yonkers Republican Party, who thought I was the best candidate to run. I had to think about it, because I am friends with Michael (Spano). But I agreed to run, because nobody should run unopposed and the people should have a choice when they vote, especially for Yonkers mayor.”
De Giorgio was unanimously selected to run by the Yonkers GOP Executive Committee. He has run for office before, twice running for City Council in the fourth district, which has been his home for the past 35 xxxxx years. While he has always been a registered republican, he ran two times as a democrat for council, losing a close race to Liam McLaughlin and then to Dennis Shepherd.
“I ran as a democrat for council because I thought I could serve my city, but I have always been a republican,” said De Giorgio.
And what about the defections of some republicans to the Democratic Party? “We must maintain a two-party system in Yonkers,” he said. “I was disappointed to see Councilman Rubbo switch parties. I think he did it because he’s looking to move up. He can’t justify what he did; you lose credibility with democrats and republicans when you switch parties to boost your own agenda. He may have a problem running for re-election.”
Education is De Giorgio’s top priority in this election. “I have 3 grandchildren that I drive to school, and I spent a lot of time in the Yonkers Public Schools. The teachers are great but the infrastructure is terrible. We need to rebuild our schools now, in some schools it has become a dangerous situation.”
De Giorgio also called for better security in the schools, including resource officers in every school. “I would support hiring retired police to serve as school resource officers in every school,” he said. “They don’t have to be cops; retired officers would keep the costs down.”
Traffic concerns are another concern for De Giorgio and his campaign. “On Bronx River Road, we have backup in the morning and at night,” he said. “Drivers need to learn, don’t block the box (in between traffic lights).”
If elected, De Giorgio said he would hire more parking authority staff, or traffic officers, to ticket drivers who drive through red lights or who block the box. “This will raise revenues and help with traffic problems,” he said. “Sit at the intersections and write up drivers who aren’t obeying the law. Other problem intersections include Tuckahoe Road, Riverdale Avenue, Mclean Avenue, and all over Yonkers. Let’s fix it.”
De Giorgio also proposes that “Yonkers needs to brand out city better. We have people driving up from Riverdale, or over from Mt. Vernon, and they don’t even though they are in Yonkers,” he said. “Let’s build big beautiful signs that say ‘Welcome to Yonkers, a Great Place to Live Work and Visit.’”
De Giorgio said Spano “has done a decent job for the past eight years, but there is a lot more that can be done. It seems that all of the attention and activity is on the waterfront, while the east side of the city is getting neglected,” he said. “We have issues on the east side – a lot of auto thefts, and on Central Park Avenue, way too many vacant storefronts.
“We have to bring in investment and developers that want to be in Yonkers, but who are also willing to pay their fair share,” continued De Giorgio. “I will not support tax abatements – you have to pay to do business in Yonkers. The waterfront was given away and now it’s costing the taxpayers. And they forgot about the rest of the city. We need to give attention to the entire city and I think this is a big issue with voters who may not be telling people how they are going to vote. I don’t care about being a republican or a democrat, I want to be the mayor for everyone. You have to serve and not self-serve.”
De Giorgio said he is the only “pro-life” candidate on the ballot and that he is a strong advocate for animal rights. “I believe in transparency and will be accountable if elected mayor,” he said. “I will try to hold taxes down and will attend every debate. I want to make Yonkers better than ever. I’m from Yonkers and proud of it.”
