Tim Hodges
Dean Politopoulos
By Dan Murphy
For the first time in recent memory, two retired Yonkers Police officers are running for City Council in the same year. Dean Politopoulos is running for City Council President as a republican, and Tim Hodges is running for City Council in the 5th District as a democrat.
We spoke to both about running for office and serving the people of Yonkers as retired members of Yonkers Finest.
Tim Hodges served in the Yonkers Police Department for 34 years. He is making his second run for City Council, in the 5th District.
How is the campaign going? “It’s going well. The biggest part is door knocking every day and getting to meet all of the people in the district. We have received a positive response. A lot of people know me because of my public service, not only in the police department but in other ways.
What is the issue you hear most about from residents? “It’s always safety, and the quality of life. But I’m also hearing questions about development and education. But overall, residents in my district are concerned about safety in their neighborhoods.”
Why do you want to serve on the council? “My whole life has been public service. I worked in the Police Department for 34 years. I am a former Yonkers Rotary President and the vice-president of Gift to Life -to help kids get the surgeries they need. I like getting out there and expanding on the positive things in Yonkers and helping provide positive change.
“I’m running again because I learned so much. I’m not a politician, I want to work for the community and for those who don’t have a voice. Last time, I didn’t meet enough voters. They want that personal touch and contact. We are doing that this year.
“I learned in the Police Department that safety and fairness go hand in hand. Sometimes people do bad things, but they deserve to be respected. I grew up humbly on Caryl Avenue, and I rose through the ranks of the YPD, so I already know about local government. I started out as a cop on patrol and became a first Deputy Chief. I protected the city for decades, and now I want to help guide its future,” said Hodges.
Dean Politopoulos is making his first run for office, after serving for 20 years in the YPD.
How is the campaign going? “I think it’s going very well. I’m proud of the way we have conducted ourselves and the hard work we put into this. I have traveled the city and met so many people. It’s quite the experience running for the first time and meeting so many people.
We want to win but regardless, but meeting all of these new faces and building new relationships, this experience is rewarding.
What issues are you hearing about from residents? “Most people share the same concerns regardless of where you live. They want safe neighborhoods. They want a good quality of life. They have concerns about traffic, and about cost-of-living concerns, and education.
“A lot of people see what’s happening on the national level and they don’t want that negativity here in Yonkers.”
“My experience in the YPD has taught me that you have to find solutions that are practical and work in short order. We have been talking about the issue of homelessness for years but there hasn’t been a lot done.
“I’m not a career politician and I don’t have any aspirations to be one. I want to use my experience in the YPD to continue to help people. I have worked for 20 years from a patrol officer up to the executive level and I want to use that experience as a good communicator and mediator to help people and find solutions.
“I want people to vote for me because I’m the right person for the job and my life experiences makes me a good fit. If they think someone else is better than vote for that person. I don’t want to leverage the YPD or my former title for political purposes.
“There is the perception of crime and safety and the reality that I would like to work on. The perception is higher than what the statistics show. There are more things we can do to address the quality of life. Is it worth it to have a quality-of-life group of officers responding to 311 calls. They will get a quicker response time if we are willing to invest in that,” said Politopoulos.
