Voters head to the polls in Westchester and New York City next week. Westchester voters select a County Executive, County Clerk, Supreme Court Judges and County Legislators. New York City selects a new Mayor, while here in Yonkers the electorate selects a new City Council President and three Council members.
As we see from early voting, not the most exciting election compared to the Presidential Primary Election we had last year. In Yonkers we have early voting at the two libraries and the Nodine Hill Community Center. Now if I was in charge of selecting early voting sites, I would have selected a more centrally located site than the Nodine Hill Center like Saunders High School, sort of right smack in the middle of the city.
At Saunders they could have done the whole thing on the stage. A door leads directly from the parking lot to the rear of the stage, so there would be no intermingling of voters and students. No Covid fears, plenty of parking, and easily accessible to public transportation. The Nodine Hill site is up a steep hill with a bus that runs very infrequently with no service on the weekend or after 6 at night. I know. I live in the neighborhood.
Speaking of Covid, this election is simply about three things. Crime, Covid and the Economy. Before the Covid Pandemic did you know what the Westchester County Executive did?Counties have Health Departments which normally deal with childhood vaccinations, rabid animals, food safety, sexual health, health services for those who cannot afford them and to encourage you to stop smoking.
But since March of last year and the arrival of Covid, County Executive George Latimer has been the main source of information the media and residents go to. For a while he was doing daily briefings that we relied on for information in terms of how Covid was affecting the residents of this county. With vaccinations for 5-11 year olds hopefully on the horizon, the county will continue to play a pivotal roll in the fight against Covid.
Parents are worried. A parent of a student in one of the Yonkers Public Schools told me one of her 3 kids was quarantined twice for 11 days so far this school year. Her Grandfather was enjoying a vacation in the Dominican Republic last February, came back to New York in March and died from Covid in less than a month. The vaccine, hand washing and sanitizing everything we and others come in contact with are the only tools we have. Everyday there seems to be a new variant. Who knows where this is all going to go. Our elected officials must show leadership instead of bickering so we can keep people alive. I don’t buy $500 bonuses to encourage government workers to get the shot!
Everyone agrees that the Bail Reform by the New York Legislature is a failure. We should not be putting people who commit crimes back on the street to commit more crimes. They must have their day in court promptly. Look at New York City. See the traffic going into and out and around the city everyday. People are in cars and Ubers, afraid to ride public transit not only because of Covid but because of the unstable people riding the trains. My barber rides the train from Brooklyn to Yonkers everyday. He keeps to himself, reads his book, and hopes that he can get out at his destination alive.
Tim Hodges, former Yonkers Deputy Police Commissioner said clearly in a forum with his opponent Anthony Merante during the Westchester Rising Show on WVOX 1460 a.m. that crime in Yonkers is on the rise. We see the beautiful rededication of Boo Wilson Park on Tuckahoe Road followed a day later by a man critically shot. Gangs are rampant in Yonkers. Drivers are driving their cars like maniacs on our streets.
Defund the police? Who are we kidding. For a mentally ill person in New York City they send a social worker as opposed to a policeman? The social worker should accompany the policeman, not replace him or her. Let’s hope this foolishness never hits the shores of Yonkers nor Westchester! Eric Adam’s won the Democratic Primary in New York because he shifted away from the cut the cops mentality. Though if I lived in New York, I would vote for my friend Curtis Sliwa. Simply put, ‘he gets the problems’ of New York and would bring a fresh, different approach to bring the city back to life.
Amazed at the responses I got to my column last week about empty supermarket shelves. People are worried about the economy. Will they be able to find a turkey for their Thanksgiving table? The toy(s) their kids want for Christmas. The food they want at the grocery store. Toilet tissue, well you know what that’s used for.
Whether it’s a log jam at a port or crazy tariffs imposed that won’t let goods reach our borders, somebody better get a handle on this situation. All we hear from both political parties is rhetoric. Blame. Divisiveness. If things don’t change there will be a third party movement to get rid of all the politicians running this country. There better be Razors for children under the Christmas tree.
Close to home the County Executive race is a slam dunk. The most I have seen from County Executive Latimer’s opponent, Christine Sculti is her response to questions in the League of Woman Voters Guide (interestingly, County Executive Latimer didn’t respond to the League’s questions). I know Latimer’s opponent. Christine is a nice lady. She should not have let herself be the sacrificial lamb for the Republican Party in the County Executive race.
Ruth Walter reminds me of our dear departed Kay Carsky. She knows what County Government is all about. She deserves reelection. If her opponent, James Nolan is worried about crime and drag racing the County Legislature is not the place for him. Frankly I was shocked to see the unvaccinated Nolan campaigning with Republican Candidate for Governor Lee Zeldin who has Leukemia. Tells you a lot about Zeldin!
Nolan went door to door campaigning without telling people he was unvaccinated. Would you put decisions regarding the health of the residents of Westchester County, an important part of a County Legislators job particularly with Covid in the hands of such person?
What Nolan should be working for is a law for merchants on Central Avenue and throughout Yonkers to lock their parking lots when their businesses are closed. Years ago there was a law on the books in Yonkers when we had a problem with drag racing and teenagers hanging out doing drugs in open parking lots requiring merchants to close them when their businesses were closed. He should work to get speed cameras not only on Central Avenue but throughout Yonkers to catch drag racers. He should be working on laws to control these unlicensed scooters racing up and down the streets causing havoc. The good men and woman of the Yonkers Police have confiscated some, but there are still way too many out there driven by unlicensed drivers.
The things that Nolan should be doing and clearly wants to do come under the purview of Federal, State and Yonkers officials, not of County Government. But until he apologizes to the people whose lives he endangered by campaigning unvaccinated door to door, political office cannot be on his agenda.
Final Note: Live guns on the set of a motion picture Alec Baldwin or any actor or actress is in! What the hell for! Someone better go to jail for the rest of their life over this travesty!
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 Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge.
