By Eric Wolf Schoen
Cue Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire. Yes, the Yonkers Budget Tango has returned. Put on your dancing shoes. This annual ritual is back after a several year hiatus when Yonkers was flush with money from the Federal American Rescue plan.
The money funded 200 positions. Former Superintendent of Schools Edwin Quezada warned city officials that the positions, paid for with federal Stimulus funds were essential to the district. Music and Art teachers, counselors, social workers, psychologists, other pupil support positions. And that public officials would have to figure out how to make up the difference when funds ran out.
‘I’m going to stand tall and tell officials: This is your issue. You have to fund these positions so that they remain.” Quezada’s words according to the Journal News. The good man has arrived in the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia! So much for standing tall. But give him credit. He alerted the powers to be far in advance that there would be a problem.
City officials through late last year knew there would be a problem and did nothing about it. When the Budget Tango begins, everybody looks for a ‘scapegoat’ to blame for the lack of funds. Years ago it was Pierorazio’s miscalculation of the numbers. A joke because the city should know if it is paying out more than it should be. It tarnished his reputation. But that’s how things go in the City of Hills. Target the weak guy and get rid of him or her.
Hey wait a minute. We have a new man to blame. The dollars lost here are federal dollars. So why not blemish the man of the moment, Congressman Jamaal Bowman. He claims to have allocated a billion new dollars! They call it the ‘Bowman Billions.’ And the loss of federal dollars is what is causing the problem. Why can’t Bowman find a mere $86 million in Washington, D.C.? He brought billions before so he says. All we need to solve the problem is a mere $86 million!
Where are the federal dollars coming to Yonkers as occurred for the last few years? Mind you Bowman didn’t vote for the Infrastructure Bill which had money for Yonkers and many other communities. Federal bucks missing: Blame the man who didn’t vote for them, good ‘ol Congressman Bowman. Nobody ever blamed the Congressman before, and the powers that be really have no use for his fire alarm tricks, so what better person to blame!
Eric stop the silliness. The seven folks on the City Council and the Mayor are to blame for relying on federal money that they knew would soon dry up and not planning what would occur if the dollars weren’t there. But they will try to find someone to blame, whether it be the State Legislators, the former or interim Superintendent of Schools, never looking in the mirror to see what poor planning took place.
And for lord knows how many years, they have paid the same firm bucks to audit Yonkers books and say everything is alright. State comptrollers have criticized this, but the 8 folks in City Hall continue to hire the same firm. Why? Because the the firm tells them what they want to hear. Everything is coming up roses. Grey sky’s are going to clear up, so put on that happy face. Sure the 8 folks responsible for running Yonkers have smiles on their faces when the auditing firm gives big bucks to many of their political campaigns, including to those who may run for higher office.
Mind you this has taken place for years. Yes, money can be found for big salary increases for the, let’s call them the Yonkers 8. They all have city paid for cars, benefits for life, pensions, free gas and car maintenance. And staff that duplicate another Yonkers patronage mill, the Constituent Affairs office. Who handles the problems constituents have. City Council staff or the Constituent Affairs office. What a mess.
So what’s the solution. I don’t have to tell you. You know. But I’m going to speak for a minute to the 200 or so staff paid with stimulus funds. The Yonkers Budget Tango has gone on since I was in high school, 1974-1978. Reliance on one shot funds. You probably love your job, and the threat of loss of it scares you. You have a dedication to your profession and your students, but I want you to be crystal clear that nobody is looking out for you.
If you find a comparable job in another school district, take it so you won’t have to deal with this Yonkers nonsense every year. Believe me, as someone who observed the yearly threats from City Hall and the Yonkers Public Schools for 30 years I know how taxing it can be on you. Get those resumes flowing and though you love your students, your Principals and your schools, the higher ones that make the decisions are not looking out for you.
They will say before Election Day as they did last year that all is well, balanced, the city contributed the most ever to education, we solved the educational financial crisis, but it’s all one big game. And you don’t want to get yourself or your families sick over it. Don’t. It’s not worth it. Worry about yourself and your family.
And yes, one day the city of Yonkers will stop the yearly Budget Tango. I hope it’s in my lifetime. But please, for me don’t let you or your friends or family get upset about it. Skip the trips to Albany with your students wasting precious class time. The State legislators who make the decisions are right here in Yonkers for you to lobby. All they want you to go to Albany for is the famous picture on the grand staircase.
Everybody in Albany knows Yonkers fiscal woes. Now the politicians in Yonkers need to solve them!
It’s 8 p.m. Saturday Night. Do You Know Where Congressman Bowman is?
I am sitting at a friends house on Saturday night. All of a sudden a little before 8:00 p.m. the phone rings. It’s Research New York. They are doing a survey on the upcoming elections and the political climate in general. At 8 p.m. on a Saturday night? Boy this politician must be hungry for votes.
Something told me it was polling being done by Congressman Bowman. And I wanted to go on record against what he was doing 1000%. Yes, after the lady started asking me questions I knew the survey was for Bowman. The key was that she couldn’t pronounce Latimer, but she clearly pronounced Jamaal Bowman correctly.
She even pronounced my last name correctly. Some of these pollsters or telemarketers ask for Eric Shore. Or Eric Scone. Where they see that in my name I do not know. But she had a hard time pronouncing Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister. Proof she was working for Congressman Bowman. After I told her the correct pronunciation, I asked her who he was. She told me they don’t give her information on the names she is calling about, they just give her a script.
The call went on for 12 minutes! On a Saturday night! All I could think of is that at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night the last thing Brother Jamaal, all Peace and Love of him would be doing is sitting for 12 minutes taking a survey. In the pictures we see of him online and sent to us he’s having fun. Making it seem like he is one of us. Dancing, protesting with squad member Rashida Tlaib, and having a good time of it.
The questions I was asked were all negative about George Latimer and AIPAC and positive about Brother Jamaal. She asked if I knew about Latimer’s public service and Jamaal’s education work. She asked about the millions of dollars he brought to the district and the billions of dollars that he was responsible for allocating.
She asked if I knew how he voted on the infrastructure bill. I said yes. He voted no. That was important to me and people I know in Westchester and beyond.
After 11 minutes I told her I was getting tired and asked how much longer the survey would be. She said I was the last person she had to call and could I please finish the survey. I can’t blame her for the disaster Congressman Bowman has been.
What did this call by the Bowman camp at almost 8 o’clock on a Saturday night prove. Congressman Bowman is desperate for votes, a little short of 3 months prior to the Primary!
Personal Note: Javelin throwing in the Olympics (only kidding) required me to have shoulder surgery earlier this week. I’ll be back as soon as possible!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com, or friend him on Facebook Eric Schoen…just look for him in the picture with Joan Rivers!
