This too is Yonkers by Eric Schoen
When they go low, they gotta go!
Well friends, as I predicted in this column several weeks ago, it looks like a majority of the Yonkers City Council in the dark of the night is getting ready to approve increasing the number of terms the Mayor and City Council can get elected to from the current 2, four year terms to 3, four year terms.
This sneaky little change would allow Councilpersons to qualify for a pension and lifetime city paid health benefits for themselves and their families. The new pension tier Councilmembers Sabatino and Breen are in require the completion of 10 years of service before you are eligible for a pension and lifetime free health benefits.
‘Things are going so great we want the progress to continue.’ That’s there mantra. Over 6% property tax increase and giving over a quarter of your work force layoff notices last budget cycle? They consider that things going great? Do you?
And if you think the city budget sailing is going to go smooth for the 2019-2020 budget year without dragging kids out of their classrooms and parents from their places of work to march up to Albany tin cups in hand begging for money, you are sailing on the Titanic. Be prepared for the same ‘budget tango’ we have every year, with a ‘Mighty Mouse’ coming through to save the day.
I saw Councilpersons Breen and Sabatino at an event last Wednesday evening. When I mentioned term limits to them they looked at me like I was talking another language. On May 10 Mayor Mike Spano at an event told me he had no interest in a third term, 2 terms was plenty. ‘Eric you know how demanding the job is on me and my family. Two terms is plenty.’ My how things change. Spano now supports the increase to 3, four year terms.
Friends, they think we are a bunch of idiots and don’t understand why they want another four years in office. It’s not only the pension and health benefits. By the way, regarding the pension, the game is that they get appointed to a job within the pension system (city, county, and state all qualify) at a much higher wage then they earn as a Councilperson toward the end of their municipal tenure. The pension is based on their final year’s in office and with a higher salary their pension increases considerably.
But believe me, there are plenty of additional perks the Councilman and Mayor get. The first thing one member of the Council did upon getting elected to office was get his husband on the state payroll. The salary wasn’t big enough so he is now on the City Payroll.
How many relatives and friends of our elected officials are on the city payroll? We call it the ‘friends and family plan.’ That’s a very big reason why our elected officials want another four year term. There will never be budget related layoffs in Public Works because a last in, first out scenario would hurt too many people who are close to or are beholden to Councilpersons and the Mayor for their jobs. With the layoffs announced earlier this year politically unconnected folks with 20 years of service were proposed to be let go while ‘friends and family’ new hires were no where on layoff lists.
Yonkers is supposed to have a Board of Ethics to investigate ethics complaints, conduct hearings, recommend disciplinary action, render advisory opinions, administer City employee disclosure statements and provide ethics training for city employees. According to the City website, the terms of the members of the Board of Ethics all expired by the end of 2017. So much for ethics in Yonkers.
Take a look on financial disclosure statements and see who contributes to the election campaigns of Yonkers elected officials. For the most part people on the city payroll or those who do business with the city. You might call it ‘pay for play.’
Breen and Sabatino in their justification for term limits say they want to keep it in line with Westchester County Legislators who can work a maximum of 12 years. They fail to mention that the County Legislators have 2 year terms, not the 4 year terms the members of the Yonkers City Council have. And what do the terms of County Legislators have to do with the terms of Yonkers City Councilpersons. Absolutely nothing.
Houston, Texas, has a limit of 2 four-year terms. San Antonio, Texas, has a limit of 4 two-year terms. Cincinnati, Ohio, the term limit for mayor is two successive four-year terms and Council members are limited to two successive four-year terms. New Orleans City Council members are limited to two four-year terms. The mayor of New Orleans is limited to two consecutive four-year elected terms.
A two-term limit was imposed on New York City Council members and citywide elected officials. On November 3, 2008, however, when Michael Bloomberg was in his second term of mayor, the City Council approved the extension of the two-term limit to a three-term limit; one year later, he was elected to a third term. The two-term limit was reinstated after a referendum in 2010. So basically, Yonkers officials are trying to play the same game Michael Bloomberg played.
In the debate so far the most disappointing Councilpersons supporting the increase in terms are Anthony Merante and John Rubbo. Merante is particularly disappointing to me. He ran as someone who had been a government watchdog for years. He would attend Board of Education meetings and complain when he saw wrongdoing. I expected the same when he joined the City Council. I’m truly disappointed that he would go along with travesty.
Merante wants this big public hearing so the public can speak out about the term limits issue. He and the other Council members who support the term limits increase know very well the timetables for placing this issue before the voters and when they have to have it approved. They make believe they don’t. Friends, we are smarter than that!
Kudos to City Council President Mike Khader and Councilperson Corazon Pineda Issac who are leading the charge against term limits extension.
What can you do. It’s beyond calling your elected officials or showing up at a meeting. You don’t like the shenanigans going on here? You vote those involved out of office next year or when they are up for reelection. If you see anything illegal or unethical going on, the number for the Public Integrity Bureau in the District Attorney’s office is 995-3303. New York State Public Integrity Hotline: 1-800-428-9072. NYS Office of the Attorney General’s Information and Complaint Helpline: 1-800-771-7755. Lastly, United States Attorney for the Southern District’s (formerly Preet Bharara) number right here in White Plains is (914) 993-1900. I suggested this to a vendor who bid for a city contract and was outbid by $50 and feels the competitor was clued in to the amount of his bid by someone in Yonkers City Hall.
Or drop me a note. We will get it to the appropriate agency! The Great Yonkers Charter Revision Robbery of 2018. Sadly, This Too is Yonkers!
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 or download the SIMPLE RADIO app for free from the APP STORE.
