Yonkers Rising and Yonkerstimes.com endorse Councilman Anthony Merante for reelection in the 6th District.
Merante is running for a third term on the council, where he has served as a fiscal watchdog for the taxpayers of his District and the City.
Merante also brings his experience as a small businessman to the council. He is a CPA and also runs a few other small businesses -he is truly an entrepreneur, and we think that is a critical perspective that needs to be heard on the City Council.
We like Merante’s honesty; sometimes he is brutally honest, even with himself, as when he admitted he made a mistake by voting for a budget with a large tax increase.
Merante brings a business perspective to serving his constituents. He sees them as customers who pay taxes and deserve responsive and effective service from their government.
Merante is not afraid to vote no and to say no to increased spending. He has voted against the last four city budgets, and in many cases, his vote is the sole NO on the council. He has also voted against pay raises for the council and the mayor.
We also appreciate Merante’s opposition to a plan to raise the noise decibel level in the City. Many residents have complained about excessive noise in their communities; we get emails to our paper about the same. Increasing the noise ordinance doesn’t make sense, and Merante gets it.
Merante is one of two Republicans on the council, and it is important, in our view, to have the perspective of the 40% of Yonkers residents who vote Republican and to have their voice heard.
“Experience has taught me to question everything,” says Merante. We appreciate his independent streak, and as we watch every City Council meeting on Facebook, he is often the council member taking a different path.
This reminds us of Robert Frost’s famous poem, “The Road Not Taken.” Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
We endorse Anthony Merante for reelection to the City Council -District 6.
Early Voting Starts on Oct. 25, and Election Day is Nov. 4.
