By Ivy Reeves
Candidate for mayor
The City of Yonkers is lovely city. It has access to public transportation 20 minutes to both Manhattan and White Plains. Yonkers has beautiful view corridors of New York City, the fabulous Hudson River and the breathtaking Palisades Mountains.
So, what could make this city of gracious living any better?
As a person who has run for an elected office to help the City of Yonkers three times, I strongly believe in fighting to keep our children off the streets – especially during the summer – by having a state-of-the-art Community/Student Center. The center would include many things, including my IVY Program (Important Values for Youth), which teaches manners, respect, etiquette and life skills. We need programs to help teenagers acquire summer jobs. We would also need to have programs to prepare our Yonkers Public Schools children for the Olympics in track and field, skating, swimming and or gymnastics, but most importantly, how to be kind and considerate of others.
We would need all development to be 80/20 for affordable housing. It would be important to make people understand the difference between low-income, senior and affordable housing. Each new developer would be asked to contribute to the funding of these programs.
I have developed programs and seminars to educate and suggest housing for the homeless population. One thing I would suggest in assisting those without a home would be more money for mental health, drug counseling, and teaching budgets to heads of homeless families. Also, we need to build special neighborhoods for the homeless veterans like what so many other cities are doing, such as Syracuse.
Our seniors need to have better services, and other services restored – such as blood pressure and diabetes testing each month, which should be restored or implemented to the seniors in the centers. I would also provide two to three days a week of physical fitness instruction to keep their bodies moving, as well as a nutritionist.
Public schools need to be repaired every year, not when it begins to fall apart. Maintenance and custodial staff would be employed year-round so that when the children return in September, desk, chairs, bathrooms, walls, auditorium, plumbing and ceilings would be repaired.
Cable television and property taxes need to be lower for seniors, and those who are retired – especially those who have lived and raised their families in their homes for more than 30 years; the same should be extended to veteran and the disabled.
Nepotism and cronyism must go, and everyone who is qualified for jobs in the City of Yonkers should have the opportunity to be hired, receive a pension, and contribute to their Social Security through the City of Yonkers.
Some positions are not worthy of the salaries received, while other salaries should be increased. Garbage and pollution of our land, air and water needs to be carefully examined and legislation put in place to clean up the city.
The election processes should be fair and equal for those seeking candidacy. Elected officials should not use their positions to bully, harass, threaten or intimidate those who work for the city, county, or other person working for an elected by cohering them into voting with them. We need to elect brave, mature and secure public servants with good charter traits to be our leaders.
We need to understand the past of our city, take a good look at what is presently occurring, and prepare for a better future for all citizen living in our “City of Gracious Living.”
Ivy Reeves is a mayoral candidate for Yonkers.
