By Dan Murphy
An interview on WVOX Radio last week by Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano has resulted in calls for an apology from several Westcheter democrats, progressive and members of the NAACP over one comment that he made during an interivew on the Reisman-Richter Report Feb. 3.
During the interview, in which Spano said that he “taking a look” at challenging Bowman in a democratic primary for the newly redrawn 16th District of NY, said “They should have arrested him (Bowman) for his vote on the infrastructure bill,” referring to the fact that Rep. Bowman voted no on the $1.2 Trillion bill that passed Congress and was signed by President Biden.
That comment has resulted in a number of letters sent to us from the Black Democrats of Westchester, the Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus (WBWPC), The Yonkers NAACP and New Rochelle NAACP, Rep. Mondaire Jones, and the New York Working Families Party.
YonkersTimes.com wrote a story on the entirety of the interview, in which Mayor Spano made news on his considering a challenge to Bowman, his disagreements with Yonkers City Councilman Anthony Merante on renewable energy for Yonkers residents, and his moderate stances on several issues in comparison to Rep. Bowman’s progressive views.
Matt Richter, one of the hosts of the Reisman-Richter report, posted the following on Facebook about the Spano interview. It appears that the Reisman-Richter Report is making ripples if not waves in the political-scape following our interview with Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. Dan Murphy of the Rising Media Group of newspapers posted the following article on the Yonkers Times website.Congressman Bowman is taking issue with some of Mayor Spano’s statements. Particularly, they are upset with the mayor’s statement that Bowman should have been arrested for his vote against the bipartisan infrastructure bill.To be clear and provide context, I mentioned that Bowman had recently been arrested at a protest at the capitol and said he’d be arrested again. That’s when Mayor Spano made the quip about the Infrastructure bill. It was a joke and not the least bit incendiary although I hear the Working Families Party and some other progressive groups are trying to spin it another way.I’m posting the entire interview so folks can understand the context of the statement. The segment on the campaign comes after our discussion of energy plans.I am hoping to have Congessman Bowman on to discuss his first term in office and upcoming campaign this week,” wrote Richter.
We received the following responses to our story.
“The Black Democrats of Westchester County respects Mayor Spano’s choice to run for
Congress but strongly denounces the mayor’s insinuation that Representative Bowman should
be placed in jail for how he voted. We are only four days into celebrating Black History Month, a time where we are supposed to be uplifting black voices and contributions. Mayor Spano had the gall and audacity to say he would put a sitting Congressman in jail for the way he voted. That is not only disgusting but unacceptable, especially coming from a Democratic mayor running a city where residents are overwhelmingly people of color. Many of us did not agree with Congressman Bowman’s
decision to vote no on the infrastructure bill, but never would anyone left or right of the political
spectrum dare arrest him for it.” said County Legislator Terry Clements, the Chair of the Black Democrats of Westchester.
“Black Americans have had to fight and die for the right to vote. The right to use the ballot box to have our voices heard in local and county government chambers, in our statehouses, and the hall of the U.S. Congress. The Black Democrats of Westchester County strongly believe Mayor Spano owes Congressman Bowman a sincere apology for his words. There have been many votes that the Black Democrats did not agree with Mayor Spano’s decisions during his tenure as Yonkers Mayor or while in the Assembly, but we would never call for him to be arrested for it. Mayor Spano needs to recognize that in a democracy we do not put elected officials in jail for their voting records. We are a country built on democracy, not an autocracy where officials are punished or persecuted for what they believe in. Men and women like Dr. King, Rep. John Lewis, or Rep. Shirley Chisholm did not work their entire lives for black leaders to be placed in jail when others disagreed with them,” said Clements.
The Working Families Party of NY wrote, “We strongly condemn the statements made by Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano calling for Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s arrest. This is sadly a threat that too many Black New Yorkers have heard before. Rep. Bowman has fought tooth-and-nail for our communities in Congress, and it’s entirely unacceptable for Mayor Spano to threaten his safety and livelihood. We expect Mayor Spano to issue Rep. Bowman a full apology immediately,” said Sochie Nnaemeka, Director of the New York Working Families Party.
From the Yonkers NAACP. “The Yonkers NAACP Unit #2188 is outraged by the racist remarks and attacks made by Yonkers Mayor Mike Span against Representative Jamal Bowman during an interview on Thursday, February 3, 2022, on WVOX Radio 1460 AM with Phil Reisman and Matt Richter. A mere three days after the start of Black History Month, the mayor of the 3’d largest city in the state and largest in Westchester County comments that the first black person to represent the City of Yonkers in the 16* Congressional District should have been arrested, not for a crime that he committed but for a vote that he’d taken. The Yonkers NAACP condemns the statement made by Mayor Span. We are calling for others to stand with us and Representative Bowman to demand a public apology from the mayor. From our elected officials, civic and community-based organizations, and stakeholders in and around our city, it’stime to take a stand.”
“Reverend Frank E. Coleman, Ir., President of the Yonkers NAACP added: “Historically, black men have been stereotyped as inferior and nothing more than chattel. From slavery to Jim Crow and beyond, black men have always been at the brunt of white resentment and anger. The statement from the Mayor of Yonkers, Mike Spano, spews out the divisive *dog whistles” that have too often been seen as mis-spoken rhetoric. Mayor Spano, at the onset of Black History Month, finds himself at ease to call for the arrest of Congressman Bowman because of his vote on infrastructure without recognizing that his arrest was in direct opposition for the voting rights bill not being passed that impacts Black and Brown people. It is not okay to call for a black man to be arrested for any crime he has not committed. Too often this has taken place in our history and should not be rhetoric freely dispersed,” end of Yonkers NAACP statement.
Congressman Mondaire Jones stated, “Mayor Spano’s comments about Congressman Bowman are irresponsible, unproductive, and dangerous. Political debate is a hallmark of our democracy, but calling for a Member of Congress to be arrested because of a vote he took is completely unacceptable, especially in light of Republicans’ continued attacks on our democracy. As elected officials, what we say matters. Mayor Spano owes Congressman Bowman, and the people of Yonkers, an apology.”
The NAACP New Rochelle stated, “The NAACP New Rochelle Branch joins the Yonkers Branch in expressing our disgust and outrage at the comments made by Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. Mayor Spano called for the arrest of Congressman Jamal Bowman the first African American Congressman, from the16th Congressional District, for simply doing his job. These comments, made during a WVOX radio interview on Thursday February 3, 2022, with Phil Reisman and Mike Richter, are not only irresponsible, it is rhetoric that conjures up the racial stereo type that all Black men are criminals and should be incarcerated. We stand with the NAACP Yonkers Branch in demanding Mayor Spano issue an apology, not only to Congressman Bowman, but to the entire African American Community.” Respectfully Submitted, Minister Mark McLean, President NAACP New Rochelle Branch.
Phil Reisman, the co-host of the radio show that Mayor Spano was on, posted on Facebook, “Spano wasn’t seriously calling for Bowman’s arrest. This is a deliberate over reaction from a vulnerable and seemingly desperate incumbent.”
Mayor Spano, however, released a statement to The Riverdale Press, saying “while being interviewed by a reporter who mentioned Jamaal Bowman’s recent arrest during a protest, I expressed my disappointment with his ‘no’ vote on the infrastructure bill, which ultimately hurts working families across the state — an issue that can’t be ignored.”
The Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus stated, “The statement reflects a fundamental level of disrespect for an African-American elected official and in these racially and politically polarizing times. It is extremely disappointing for the Mayor of Yonkers, a diverse community that includes a sizable and historical African-American community, to allow his political ambition to engage in hateful rhetoric.”
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi tweeted, “.@MayorMikeSpano some of us (not you) feel urgency around the threats to our democracy. Some of us (not you) actually have principles that we stand for. What exactly do you stand for? Thinly veiled racism?
Rep. Bowman has not publicly commented on this matter. Mayor Spano did respond to a request from the Riverdale Press saying, “while being interviewed by a reporter who mentioned Jamaal Bowman’s recent arrest during a protest, I expressed my disappointment with his ‘no’ vote on the infrastructure bill, which ultimately hurts working families across the state — an issue that can’t be ignored.”
