City Council Minority Leader Mike Breen
Compromise is not a bad word. Nor is consensus. In our view, it is the way that our government has always worked, and how it works when it is operating correctly.
City Councilman Mike Breen has sought compromise, and consensus, in his years on the City Council. He has reasonably sought the middle ground that most Yonkers residents, taxpayers and voters, also occupy.
Breen has worked with Mayor Spano on many of his budgets and initiatives but has also spoke out and voted against the Mayor when he sought fit. The recent City budget is one example where Breen voted no; he believed that any property tax increase above 2% was too high.
In the past, we have called Breen, “Councilman Pothole,” because of his ability to serve the constituents in the 5th district and effectively respond to their quality of life concerns. A recent example is the effort to rebuild Schultze Playground. Exemplifying the model public-private partnership, Breen joined forces with the Crestwood Community Fund who was able to raise $420,000, adding to the City’s investment of $800,000. Construction is slated to begin in the fall of 2023.
Breen also got 48% of the vote in his race for Assembly last year, almost defeating a very popular Assemblyman Nader Sayegh.
Breen’s opponent is Ron Schutte, someone who has been described as invisible to his community until deciding to run for office. A neighbor of Schutte said “I’ve lived in this neighborhood for nearly 15 years and have never had so much as a conversation with him. Now he comes knocking at my door looking for support against someone who has always been there for us. I’m with Mike Breen”.
Schutte is running solely on the issue of Breen’s vote in favor of term limits. We don’t agree with that line of thinking; We find Breen’s experience on the City Council, and his ability to get things done, as a reason for residents in the 5th district to support his reelection.
We are also distressed by the negative attacks against Breen by supporters of Schutte, who is close friends with another Yonkers republican running for office this year. In politics, when a candidate goes with a negative message it typically means they are way behind and need to try and “bloody up” their opponent. We suspect that is what is occurring here.
Breen has shown time and time again that he is a committed supporter of our Police and Fire Departments, dedicated to attacking quality of life issues head on and making the necessary investments in our City’s infrastructure and parks for our children to enjoy. That’s why we endorse Mike Breen because he has earned the vote of republicans in the 5th district based on his record on the city council.
