By Dan Murphy
Here’s a few political rumblings in Yonkers this summer. Yonkers Rising has learned that former City Councilman John Larkin will be named the next Yonkers Republican Chair. Also, former YPD Deputy Chief Tim Hodges is exploring a run for City Council in the 6th District as a democrat, and the race for Yonkers City Court isn’t over yet.
Several years ago, a Citywide poll found that former City Councilman and Majority Leader John Larkin was the most popular politician in Yonkers, with Larkin polled ahead of Mayor Mike Spano at the time. Larkin served two terms on the council, and then stepped down, declining to run for other offices including City Council President. One Councilman said that Larkin is a popular figure in Yonkers, “because he works with everyone and work well on fixing problems and making sure they get done.”
Now, Larkin is set to take over as Chairman of the Yonkers Republican Party next month. Larkin will replace the current GOP Chair Justin Tubiolo. Tubiolo, who has served for several years, and did try to keep the republican brand in Yonkers viable, has lost a few recent elections, most notably in 2017 when republican Liam McLaughlin lost his re-election for Council President.
Tubiolo has also watched as prominent republicans including Councilman John Rubbo and his son County Legislator David Tubiolo, switched parties to become democrats. The fact that David Tubiolo switched parties, last year, appeared to be the last straw for his father to continue to serve as City GOP Chair, with republican councilman Anthony Merante and others, calling for Tubiolo to step down.
Larkin will have his hands full as he tries to rebuild the party and the republican brand in Yonkers. But if anyone can do it, he can, and maybe Larkin might want to return to the ballot in Yonkers someday?
Larkin served as a councilman from the 6th District, in Northwest Yonkers, currently held by republican councilman Anthony Merante. Merante who is currently in the middle of a debate over an expansion at a UPS facility of Tuckahoe Road, will be challenged next year when he is up for re-election. Whether that challenge comes from a democrat or a republican, or both, is unknown.
But one name tossed out as a possible opponent to Merante is Tim Hodges, recently retired from the Yonkers Police Department. Hodges, who served for 30 years in the YPD, most recently as First Deputy Chief, would run as a democrat. Three years ago, Matt Orifice ran against Merante and lost by a handful of votes to Merante, with Tony Pagano also running. All three candidates received more than 2000 votes.
And the race for Yonkers City Court is not over, even though the three winners of the democratic primary for three seats on the Yonkers bench, Verris Shako, Karen Best, and Dan Romano, are all leading the field to win election November 3.
But Judge Tom Daly, who narrowly lost his bid for re-election in the democratic primary, is on the republican line November 3. Supporters of Daly hope that he can keep some of his democratic votes from the primary, along with republicans and independents, to win on November 3.
To add to the political intrigue, Karen Best, who will appear on the democratic line for City Judge in November, released a letter she wrote to Yonkers Democratic Chair Tom Meier.
“I am requesting information regarding your plans for the General Election. Will you continue to support Judge Daly, since he will be running on the republican and conservative lines? Will you continue to support Judge McGrath, since he will be alto running on the conservative line. Even though the Yonkers Democratic Party did not endorse me, I still placed second in the primary. My victory, and the victory of other insurgent candidates, should be taken as a message that the democratic voters of our city would like the democratic party to evolve into an entity that provides transparency, encourages diversity, and promotes inclusion,” wrote Best.
Yonkers Democratic Chair Tom Meier stated, “I have included all of the democratic candidates running in Yonkers in my emails. including Karen Best.”
Democrats in Yonkers will have the advantage of a Presidential year, which will increase the numbers of voters, even in a pandemic and vote by mail, many of who will come out and vote for Joe Biden for President and vote for democrats down the ticket.
This gives an advantage to the three democrats running for City judge. Dan Romano, one of the three, will also receive republican support on November 3, making him difficult to beat. Verris Shako, received the most votes in the democratic primary and we look forward to her service on the Yonkers bench.
And Karen Best proved that she has the support of many Yonkers democrats. She has done it once on her own, in the primary, and can do it again. That was the message in her letter.
This scenario makes it tough for Judge Daly, but not impossible, based on his years of service in the Yonkers Courts and his service to the community over 5 decades. We’ve got four candidates for three seats. And there are reports of a write-in candidate for City Judge coming.
