By Dan Murphy
The Yonkers City Council held their re-organization meeting on Jan. 3, 2022, and elected Councilmember Tasha Diaz to be the next Majority Leader. Diaz, replaced Councilmember Corazon Pineda-Isaac as the next Majority Leader for the five council democrats for the next two years. The Council also elected Councilmember Mike Breen to serve as Minority Leader.
This was also the first meeting for City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy.
But the vote, and debate, to select Diaz as Majority Leader was filled with “dirty laundry” as Councilman John Rubbo called it, with two council democrats, Corazon Pineda-Isaac and Shanae Williams, calling out Diaz as unqualified and unable to serve as majority leader.
“It’s a new day on the Yonkers City Council. Two years ago, I was voted in as majority leader and was grateful to serve,” said Councilwoman Corazon Pineda-Isaac. I am excited to have four women of color on the council and look forward to the successes that we will have as a democratic supermajority.”
“But I will be voting no on the rules and the selection of Councilmember Tasha Diaz as Majority Leader and Councilmember John Rubbo as majority whip. I have strong reservations about councilmember Diaz serving as Majority Leader. I do not believe that she possesses the skills and temperament to lead and push the democratic agenda forward. She voted no for the affordable housing ordinance. This is my 9th year on the council, and I’m excited to serve, and that doesn’t stop with a title change,” said Pineda-Isaac.
Councilmember Shanae Williams was even more vocal against Diaz’s selection as Majority Leader. “This is a historic day to have a black woman as council president and a majority of women of color on the council. But I will be voting no because I do not thnk that councilmember Diaz is the most qualified for the job.
“The majority leader is responsbile for meetings with the mayor and the commissioners and with our democratic caucus. She (Diaz) has rarely submitted legislation, she called the cops on residents expressing their opinions, she has threatened me on the council chambers, cursed out our commissioners and deputy mayor, told councilman Rubbo that she will F him up, and did little to quell tensions during the pandemic. These are not the best skills for majority leader.
“Councilmember Diaz is the least qualified to serve as majority leader. She doesn’t contribute to the conservation and doesn’t ask questions or make suggestions. She is a junior member of the council and it shows. She is not ready and I do not support her,” said councilmember Williams.
But the other two council democrats, Council President Collins-Bellamy and Councilmember Rubbo, did support Diaz for Majority Leader. “Most of this is inside baseball. I’m saddened to see our dirty laundry aired in public. We can disagree behind closed doors but we should publicly move forward on in a united front and compromise. I’m happy to support councilmember Diaz for Majority Leader for the next two years just as I supported councilmember Pineda-Isaac for the last two years.”
Council President Collins-Bellamy said, “I look forward to working with all of you to do grat things for the city. This is a historic moment, and I am humbled and thankful to serve as the first African American woman as council president and I take this role very seriously.”
“I congratulate councilmember Diaz on her new role. I’m here to support her in any way possible and wish her Gods grace mvoling forward. I saw your passon and I am inspired by it. I will be supporting you for majority leader.”
The two council republicans, minority leader Mike Breen and councilmember Anthony Merante, also had a vote in the council rules and who the majority leader would be. Councilman Merante said that “I wanted to reach out to all of the women on the council and if they could come together I would be the fourth vote to make one of them majority leader. Unfortunately that could not happen, and I threw my support to councilmember Rubbo. He is a good leader and may not be in line with the other council democrats but he works with everyone. But he didn’t acquiesce the position. So I will support councilmember Diaz, she will be a good majority leader and we will work together.”
Minority Leader Breen said, “If this is a referendum on affordable housing, just because councilmember Diaz voted no on the 20% affordable housing ordinance doesn’t mean she is against affordable housing, She has her own views on the subject and supports affordable housing as she sees fit.”
Councilwoman Diaz, said, “Thank you to everyone who believed in me. I have always been the underdog and stayed true to my morals. People may feel intimiated because I fight for the things that I beleive in and that my constituents want. I stayed true on affordable housing. If 20% of nothing gets built, you get nothing. We are still at a stalemate. From day one I have been a team player but now it seems that I am a target.
“If anyone wants to say something and get it out, I have no problem. As a mother, and a wife, I won’t bash anyone or tear them down. And to the two women we tore me down today, I would remind them that we are here to get things done. Actions speak louder than words.
“They came here rehearsed to attack me. I have no script. But if that’s how they want to play, as a woman, I’m here to move the council forward,” said Diaz, who was elected Majority Leader by a vote of 5-2.
Yonkers Rising was also designated as the official weekly newspaper for the City of Yonkers for the next two years. We thank the council for their vote.
