Editor’s Note: We have determined that Hodges claim that Councilman Merante, “He voted NO on critical infrastructure improvements—things like road repaving, library capital investments, and new fire trucks that ensure our departments are ready to respond,” is False.
Merante, and the entire City Council voted 7-0 in favor of the City Capital Budget, which funds many of the items Hodges listed above. And Merante’s own release stated, “I voted in favor of the Capital Budget because it addresses major needs that have been long neglected—such as road resurfacing, updated textbooks for our students, and the purchase of new fire trucks ” he stated. “We must also ensure that our emergency response equipment is fully operational. When someone calls 911, our units need to be ready and equipped to help.”
By Tim Hodges, pictured above
As a longtime Yonkers resident, I’ve always tried to judge my local representatives based on their actions, not their party affiliations. That’s why I was deeply disappointed—though sadly not surprised—when Councilman Anthony Merante cast the lone vote against the City’s 2025–2026 budget. While he claims his “no” vote was about protecting seniors from a $23 per month property tax increase, the truth is that his vote does far more harm to those same seniors and to the entire Yonkers community.
Let’s talk about what this budget actually does. The Yonkers City Council passed a $1.54 billion budget that protects every essential city service. There are no cuts to police, fire, or sanitation. Every public school remains fully funded. Our streets will be repaved, our parks improved, and our libraries upgraded. And yes, the city stayed under the state-mandated tax cap, with a modest 2.85% property tax increase—about $23 a month for the average household.
Councilman Merante voted NO on all of it. He voted NO on funding our public schools, even though Yonkers is contributing a record $298.3 million to education this year. He voted NO on funding the very first responders we rely on in times of crisis. He voted NO on critical infrastructure improvements—things like road repaving, library capital investments, and new fire trucks that ensure our departments are ready to respond.
But worst of all, he voted NO on preparing Yonkers for what’s coming. That same budget includes a $12 million rainy day fund—a forward-thinking reserve meant to shield the city from devastating proposed federal cuts. Cuts that are coming directly from Councilman Merante’s Republican Party and President Donald Trump. If enacted, Trump’s proposed budget would strip Yonkers of Meals on Wheels funding—money that helps provide over 90,000 meals a year to our senior citizens. And it would gut $27 million in school aid that supports thousands of Yonkers students.
Let me be blunt: if Councilman Merante truly cared about seniors and working families, he wouldn’t be protecting them from a $23 a month tax increase—he’d be fighting against a federal plan to take food off their tables and pull support out from under our kids.
I understand that no one likes tax increases. But I understand that governing is about balancing needs with responsibility. As a local business owner himself, Merante surely knows that costs rise every year. If he wants to freeze taxes, what does he propose cutting? Garbage collection? Police? Teachers? Firefighters? This is the reality of leadership—either you make the tough choices and prepare your city for the future, or you grandstand and vote no without offering solutions.
Councilman Merante’s vote didn’t protect seniors—it left them more vulnerable. It didn’t stand up for taxpayers—it played politics while others did the hard work of governing. As a former Yonkers Police Chief, I know what leadership looks like. And last week, it didn’t come from the 6th district.
Tim Hodges is a candidate for Yonkers City Council in the 6th District
