By Dan Murphy
The people of Yonkers mourn the loss of Thomas Dickerson, who passed away last week at the age of 74. Judge Dickerson, as he has been known for more than 25 years, served Yonkers as a city councilman and City Court judge, and then as a Supreme Court justice spanning four decades.
The impact Dickerson had on Yonkers can be first found by going back to the 1980s, when Yonkers seemed to be on the verge of a Civil War over a desegregation order requiring the city to comply with a federal decree and build affordable housing on the east side of the city and integrate its public schools.
This period of time was presented in the miniseries “Show Me a Hero.” Dickerson’s son, filmmaker and author William Dickerson, wrote about that time and his father’s role in it. In 1989, the Fifth Council District in Yonkers was represented by Nick Longo, one of the councilmembers who did not want the city to comply with the order, and instead wanted the city to continue to fight in the courts and accumulate millions of dollars in fines as a result.
“In the spring of 1989, Yonkers City Councilman Nick Longo placed an Italian curse, the Malocchio, on my family during a live local radio broadcast,” wrote William Dickerson back in 2015. “It was the beginning of a long battle my father, Thomas Dickerson, waged against Councilman Longo in an effort to oust him from office.
“Watching HBO’s ‘Show Me A Hero’ thus far has been a surreal experience for me. Nick Longo (here played by actor Jim Bracchitta) was one of the four city councilmen who refused to comply with the federal government’s mandate to build 200 units of public housing east of the Saw Mill River Parkway, and as a result, allowed the City of Yonkers, N.Y., to be held in contempt, fined millions of dollars, and become a landmark of scorn throughout the country.
“My father helped lead the charge, on behalf of a group of citizens, to get the councilmen to comply with Judge Leonard B. Sand’s order to build the housing. The group filed a class action lawsuit holding the councilmen personally liable for the damage they caused – which included $100 million and the value of lowered bond ratings and property values as a result of their dereliction of duty. This lawsuit and the efforts of his community group, CANOPY (Citizens and Neighbors Organized to Protect Yonkers), contributed to the councilmen finally agreeing to comply.”
Tom Dickerson took the moral high ground back in 1989. Later that year, he challenged Longo in the City Council Republican primary in the Fifth District, which was an east side district where Republicans always won. On the night of the primary, Longo was declared the winner, by the narrowest of margins.
“The struggle over the housing issue was dramatically outlined in the Fifth District, in east Yonkers, where the incumbent Republican Councilman, Nicholas V. Longo, who opposed the judge’s plan, barely defeated a political newcomer, Thomas A. Dickerson, who favors compliance,” reported the NY Times. “Mr. Longo won by 27 votes – 1,170 to 1,143.”
However, as former Mayor Angelo Martinelli explained: “On the night of the primary, the votes were counted improperly. Thirty-eight votes were counted for Longo, but they were cast for Dickerson. That turned out to be the margin of victory. Longo had said on primary night ‘I beat both Dickerson and Angelo Martinelli.’ So, it was very gratifying that Tom won, and he went on to do a great job and service to Yonkers in many ways.”
During his victorious council race, Dickerson said he had visited 2,500 households in campaigning for an end to the city’s defiance of Judge Sand’s court order. When Councilman Longo and other councilmembers favored hiring another lawyer to continue their fight against desegregation and the fines, Dickerson, a lawyer, famously quipped: “Yonkers does not need a new lawyer. “It needs a new client, one living in the real world.” He said the proposed change would be “a waste of $500,000 and nothing more than a political sop.”
Soon after the desegregation case ended, Dickerson decided to turn from a career in politics to a career in law, serving as a judge. Former Yonkers Democratic Chairwoman Ann Muro stated: “Tom Dickerson could have been the mayor of Yonkers if we wanted to, but he decided to become a judge and it was a good decision. He was a great campaigner and loved meeting people. He would end every conversation with ‘God bless you.’ He was extremely well liked.”
After serving on the Yonkers City Court, the Westchester County Court and the New York State Supreme Court, one of Dickerson’s proudest times was when he served as a justice and member of the Appellate Division, Second Department – one of the most prestigious appeals courts in the country. He was appointed in 2006 and retired due to age requirements last year.
Dickerson’s colleagues on that court remembered him in a New York Law Journal story about his passing. “He was a highly respected member of the Appellate Division, Second Department, for over a decade and was personally highly regarded by his colleagues,” said attorney Mark Zauderer. “He was always energetic, scholarly and collegial.”
Dickerson’s expertise was travel law and class actions. He wrote reference books, and columns for the NY Law Journal on rental car law.
Former Presiding Justice Randall Eng, who served with Dickerson, praised his work ethic. He also remembered Dickerson as the unofficial photographer at Second Department functions. “He was a highly conscientious justice,” said Eng. “He was always timely in his work. He never shirked from a difficult matter. You could always call upon him to take on extra assignments or duties for a fellow justice who was ill.”
Hofstra Law Dean Gail Prudenti was the presiding justice when Dickerson was appointed to the Appellate Division in 2006.
“I think he saw it as his greatest accomplishment, being appointed to one of the busiest appellate courts in the country,” she said. “When I think about Tom, what I think about is he was an extremely hard-working judge. He did his work. He took it very seriously. He never worked less than 60 hours a week. He was a prolific writer. He took his commitment to public service to heart. He was incredibly loyal to the mission.”
Dickerson was born March 3, 1944 in Lockport (western New York), to the late William and Esther Dickerson. During the Vietnam War, he served as an Army paratrooper for the Green Berets. He graduated in 1969 from Colgate University and in 1973 from Johnson Graduate School of Business and Public Administration, Cornell University and Cornell Law School.
His service in Vietnam as a Green Beret was admired and remembered by Veterans throughout Yonkers. “Tom Dickerson was always a person to go to for Veterans. He made veterans feel comfortable and they respected him for his service to the country. He was available and attended every Veterans ceremony and he always had a smile for all to see,” said Lou Navarro, Yonkers Director of Veterans Services
Dickerson was well liked by both sides of the political aisle – something rarely seen today. “He was a real gentleman and a straight shooter,” said longtime Yonkers Democrat Larry McCrudden. “Even though he was a Republican, he and I were from a time when after a difficult debate or election, we would all go out for a beer together.”
Former State Sen. Nick Spano added: “He was a tremendous friend,who served his nation, served his community as a terrific judge, and loved his family. He was taken from us too young and will be missed. As a member of the City Council, Tom Dickerson was a stable and consistent voice who always had the best interest of the people he represented.”
Following is his formal obituary:
The Hon. Thomas A. Dickerson, 74, of Yonkers, N.Y., died July 26, 2018. He was born March 3, 1944 in Lockport, N.Y., to the late William and Esther Dickerson. He is predeceased by his daughter Briana Dickerson Cardone and his sister Sandy Williams.
Thomas is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Patti, his son William, daughter-in-law Rachel, grandson Wyatt, his sister Jeanette Dickerson-Putnam (Duncan), his brother-in-law Thomas Reddy, nieces Shannon and Katie, and nephew Matthew.
Judge Dickerson graduated in 1969 from Colgate University and in 1973 from Johnson Graduate School of Business and Public Administration, Cornell University and Cornell Law School. He served in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) during the Vietnam War, 1963-1966. He practiced law in New York City from 1975 through 1993, specializing in litigation, class actions, consumer and travel law. He was a justice on the Yonkers City Court, the Westchester County Court, New York State Supreme Court, and – what he was most proud of – as associate justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department.
He is the author of numerous legal books, treatises and articles.
Tom loved the law and his family and will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
Calling hours at the Fred H. McGrath & Son Funeral Home, Bronxville, were Sunday. A Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph’s Church, Bronxville, was Monday.
