Failures Yet to Come By Vox Populi

O.J. – October/ June Debacle

Contributors, One and All

In the continuing saga of government and politics in the City of Yonkers, we are always reminded of how ill-served we are by the political class that governs us. As in a previous story (Political Audacity Absent Hope By Vox Populi) regarding Assemblyman Mike Spano and County Conservative Chairperson Gail Burns, the on-going hypocrisy and phoniness of these people, and the political system we are saddled with, becomes more and more evident each day. Quite frankly, it is frustrating.

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It is frustrating because we think that the people we elect will challenge the existing system - people like New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick, Westchester County Board Legislator Ken Jenkins, and even Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone over former mayoral candidate Dennis Robertson. [Robertson, only because he was made to look more closely aligned with John Spencer than even Amicone, since we all “know” that Amicone and Spencer had that “big falling out.” All these elected officials have failed us. It happens now more quickly, and we see it more clearly.

Senator Stewart-Cousins can’t get “arrested” in Albany; operating more like Albany is the Westchester County Board of Legislators. President Lesnick - well, he just gives the word”disappointment,” new meaning altogether. One would imagine he might be more successful in a commune of the 1960’s or cheerleading at some special event like the Democrat National Committee (DNC). In both cases, leadership and real decision making is made by other players. Westchester County Board Legislator Jenkins, is probably better suited to his chairmanship role of the Yonkers Democrat City Committee than his dual role as that, and of Westchester County Board Legislator. By the way, is he really living in the district he represents as required by law? May God help us if these three actually manage to take real control of government. A “political” watch should be issued; much like that issued for a tornado or storm watch.

Mayor Phil Amicone probably best personifies someone of this political ruling class who is formally educated and looks good on paper, just like the other three aforementioned politicos. But Mayor Amicone can’t make a simple decision to save his own hide. Amicone even deflates a positive decision through procrastination.

He has surrounded himself with myopic and slavishly loyal subordinates who know full well that disagreeing with him is an unhealthy option. Mayor Amicone, now in his second elected term as mayor, and in his thirteenth year at the top post of city government, has fooled and deluded the people with the same mantra. Like everyone, it takes time to see through this; and he’s been there a long time.

Mayor Amicone has”preached” downtown development. As we can see, nothing is developing. Actually, development is at a standstill. Some existing businesses made promises by him, are now folding and leaving, or are about to leave the city of Yonkers. Because the public sector / taxpayer funded money train is drying up. Whether it is restaurants on Main Street or South Broadway, closed or partially filled office and apartment buildings, catering halls and lofts - it’s over.

What does the mayor continue to promote: a baseball stadium high in the sky, golf games at high buy-ins, murals and art objects plastered all over City Hall and Getty Square, boat rides to nowhere, while he continues to beg developers to contribute to the not for profit foundations which support his private charities.

He and our city are going nowhere and fast. Mayor Amicone never had a plan and still doesn’t; unless you want to look at how he manages to hire political patronage hacks, the offspring of political donors, family and friends, and this of course, Mayor Amicone refers to as his “merit system.”

The mayor learned to “play” the political game better than many.

But one thing is for sure, and on that you can bet your last dollar, it’s all phony. He has truly mastered the art of fabrication. For this, all of us in Yonkers suffer.

Come October 2008 through June 2009 we can watch the financial floor of SFC Yonkers development collapse like the firehouse in Peekskill. Watch New York State give Yonkers next to nothing. 

This ladies and gentlemen is the legacy and renaissance in the City of Yonkers. Prepare now for the “new” Yonkers

Comments

WOW. Cynical much? They built most of the Stu Leonards complex- I admit the Target never went in. Ridge Hill is going up, and going up fast. What makes you think no more of the Waterfront/Downtown will be going up? You do acknowledge a good portion of the Waterfront development is already built or at least under construction, right?

Yonkers is a sinking ship. Just wait till the next fiscal year. No waterfront, no change in education aid, no additional money from the state. I guess the take home cars will stop then, since a good portion of the workforce will be laid off.

The first half of that rant is fine. The second half is just plain crap.

Amicone has done nothing, Stu's and Ridge Hill were done during Spencers term, so was Collins.. The Clown is called the Clown for a reason, he's a clown.... Bill Regan is Yonkers biggest Dick in history, the guy goes to free lunches and steals pens and free pads.

AND the biggest douche in the universe award STILL goes to:

"WHITE PLAINS - Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano's perks include a $300,000-a-year security detail, a review by The Journal News has found.

The three county detectives assigned to protect Spano make him one of only two top county leaders in the state outside of New York City who have taxpayer-funded personal security - and the only one with both a security detail and a county-issued credit card.

Other than Spano, only Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, who heads the state's largest suburban county, has police officers assigned to him for protection.

Westchester Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Belfiore said it's a function of his department that he feels is necessary to keep the county's top official safe.

"That's my call on security," Belfiore said. "I own it. I want him to have security and I understand, of course, that there is a cost associated with that. But I do want him to have a security detail."

Spano and Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks are also the only leaders in the state's five most populous counties outside New York City to be issued county credit cards.

Spano used his card for $33,889 in travel, meal and other purchases between 2003 and last year, including $5,435 for hotel rooms for his security detail, according to records obtained by The Journal News through the state's Freedom of Information Law, or FOIL.

The total for those trips includes $6,372 for additional rooms for Spano and county staff members who accompanied him to Albany, Washington, Baltimore and Richmond, Va., the records show."

when is the journal news going to analyze amicone's spending , and his campaign contributions?

if you look at the millions of taxpayer dollars that had went through the so called created i.d.a. agencies being led by sheeran,pinto,lynch and the rest of the amicone friends and family , which produced nothing but waste and FRAUD with THEFT. amicone will have to answer for these crimes down the road.

AMICONE HIRES MORE FRIENDS!!!!
OFF CITY OF YONKERS WEBSITE

Job Opportunities and Civil Service Exams
SENIOR ASSISTANT TO THE MAYOR - LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
Salary/Pay Rate: Negotiable
This position will serve as the legislative director and a policy advisor working directly with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Chief of Staff and Corporation Counsel on legislative matters and policy initiatives. Assignments will involve coordinating, monitoring and controlling assigned activities, programs and new initiatives which will be sensitive and/or confidential in nature. Frequent contact will occur with key elected and appointed officials at the federal, state, county and local levels. On a case by case basis supervision may be exercised over a number of managerial, professional and clerical personnel.

EVEN WHEN THERE IS ANSOLUTELY NO MONEY and we are laying off Policemen Mayor AmiconEEE has no problem finding $175,000 jobs for his friends like the one he is filling now ABOVE.
Other SPECIAL ASSISTANTS to the MAYOR are;
LORRAINE LO{PEZ $ 160,000 + car + home + expense account
MARTY PETERSON $ 150,000 + car + expense + half the family on the payroll.
DO WE REALLY NEED THIS ABOVE POSITION IN THIS TIME OF FISCAL CRISIS?
Mr Mayor, please, please let your friends find jobs that are not at taxpayer expense!!!!

A few other asides about this article.
I drive by N-Valley on Nepperhan Ave every day, an Amicone “accomplishment”. There is absolutely NO-ONE in it and most of the windows on the ground floor have been smashed out by vandals and not replaced. Way to go Mayor.
Downtown development, Amicone wants Yonkers taxpayers to pay, through our real estate taxes, at least $300 MILLION to re-due the infrastructure at downtown under a developer friendly tax scheme that NO OTHER CITY IN AMERICA HAS USED, no-one will, it hurts taxpayers. So no matter what happens to Downtown Development it doesn’t help Yonkers citizens taxpayers. It helps Amicone and the developers. Most of us will be dead before the first real tax dollar is ever received.
The downtown will be developed and it probably will be nice but it does nothing for the citizens of Yonkers because it's fraught with tax incentives, no tax clauses, PILOTS, etc for the developers and will never support itself.
Amicone will be gone, most of the middle class taxpayers will be gone and it will be another amusement park for street gang’s like they have in New Rock City in New Rochelle.
Remember one thing, DEVELOPERS ARE NEVER, NEVER IN FOR THE LONG RUN, THEY BUILD, SELL OFF AND MOVE ON.
Diam International on Tuckahoe Road is a perfect example. Amicone gave DIAM an absolute no tax clause, DIAM came, sold the nontax clause to another company and left and the new owner had no obligation to hire Yonkers residents, just a LIFETIME NO TAX CLAUSE. We now have prime real estate in Yonkers worth “0” zero dollars on the tax rolls.
Taxable real estate in Yonkers has gone DOWN every year since Spencer/Amicone have been in office because of no tax clauses, which takes that property off the tax roll. Most of Downtown Development is taxed this way. We pay increased police, fire, school, DPW and they pay “0” zero taxes. Great deal if you can get it.

The first paragraph is right on, but Hezi, the delay for the developments ("a standstill") is not from the Mayor's side. It's the City Council and their consultants. That this is delayed doesn't mean it won't happen. And what does Loraine Lopez do which nets her that much money, a car, and an expense account? She has a massive temper, terrifies her staff (they all work on eggshells in that part of the building) and is rarely there. Soooo what's all that about? If it's because she's HIspanic, that's racist. We have a large Polish segment in the city, so why not someone Polish? Or African American? No, we don't do that kind of thing in America, so why is there a "HIspanic Liason?" It's an excuse- what's her real purpose and function? Anyone out there know? And when Amicone's term is up, who will hire such a troubled person?

Lets not forget that every day that Lopez is employed by the city, she racks up that lifetime pension!

Where is Spencer hiding out these days?

Hezi

Please do an expose on where Ken Jenkins resides. Why is it that this person is allowed rto live OUTSIDE his legislatgive district?

Supposely renting an apartment in the district and living in his family's house in Runyon Heights should nto be allowed.

Was it it allowed to continue without the media reporting on it?

Also meant to say it is very much like the former schools Superintendent hiring that guy who supposely claimed he lived at an address of the superintendents relative.

Is Jenkins untouchable?

Hezi -what do you say?

The silence is deafening!!!!!