Yonkers Tribune

Murtagh's Press Conference By Joan Gronowski

"Yonkers Councilmember John Murtagh recently held a press conference to call for the Yonkers City Council to take a voluntary 5% salary cut, further boasting that he took a 10% cut in salary last year.   Although I cannot answer for my colleagues, I, myself, was not invited to this press event.  Moreover, Mr. Murtagh mentioned nothing of this concept to me during our city council committee meeting the evening before. 

"As Minority Leader, Mr. Murtagh was entitled to an additional stipend which he apparently declined to accept.  However, he did accept an additional staff person – also a “perk” for the Minority Leader – a fact that Mr. Murtagh has seemingly failed to address in his press release praising his frugality.  This second staff position went unfilled during the time I served on the City Council with the former Minority Leader, Councilmember Liam McLaughlin.  Yet, Mr. Murtagh, in the year prior to his conjectured run for mayor, and at a time when Yonkers faced one of its most financially damaging budget periods – decided to increase his staff.  While we were faced with once-a-week garbage collections, loss of firefighters and decreased police presence, Mr. Murtagh took on an additional staff member.  

Election Day is Tuesday - What's Your Take - Share Your Point of View

Share your perspective with regard to Election Day hopes, fears, and prospects for the nation and its relevancy to Yonkers. Yonkersites want to know.

Burning Koran Is Deadly Wrong

New York, NY, September 9, 2010 --  Catholic League president Bill Donohue yesterday commented on reports that a Florida pastor is planning to burn a copy of the Koran on 9/11: 

Minister Terry Jones wants to show his anger at radical Muslims by burning a copy of the Koran on September 11. He is wrong morally, and he is literally endangering innocent lives. 

Reform Rabbis Denounce "International Burn a Quran Day" Proposed by Reverend Terry Jones

-- The world's largest group of Jewish clergy, the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), yesterday issued a statement condemning the proposed "International Burn a Quran Day" by Rev. Terry Jones of The Dove World Outreach Center of Gainesville, Florida, for September 11, 2010.

What Harry Reid is Missing BY Jim Castro-Blanco

Jim Castro-Blanco (pictured left)

While blasting the Republican Party for blocking “immigration reform,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (pictured right) laid out his perception of where Hispanic voters should stand, “I don’t know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican, OK. Do I need to say more?”

Rashid Khalidi Appeals for Funds for Ship to Run Israeli Blockade of Gaza BY WINFIELD MYERS

Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University, has signed an appeal for funds to outfit a ship--to be named The Audacity of Hope after Barack Obama's second book--that will challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza in September or October, according to a report by Robert Mackey at The Lede, a blog of the New York Times. His wife Mona is also a signatory.

Right of the Inspector General to Conduct Audits and Investigations at the Yonkers Public Schools BY PHILIP ZISMAN

Yonker, NY, July 3, 2010 -- In a strongly worded decision, New York State Court Justice William Giacomo, confirmed that the Yonkers Inspector General has the independent "power and authority to investigate and/or audit  [the School District] in respect to matters that are not strictly educational..." the Court recognized that the Inspector General is completely independent of the Board of Education and has only a responsibility to the citizens of the City of Yonkers. The decision is a victory for accountability and transparency in government. The people of Yonkers have a right to know how the School District is spending our tax dollars.   As the former Inspector General, it is gratifying that the Court vindicated the position that I had advocated for more than two years in efforts to get the Board to cooperate with Inspector General audits and investigations. It is unfortunate the the Board saw fit to waste time and taxpayer money in bringing what amounted to a frivolous claim .

Unions Care in Yonkers By Rudy Sarro

I would like to add to Joe DeLasho's article [Read: Yonkers Firefighter Cuts BY JOSPEH DeLASHO] regarding union workers being insensitive and greedy. Some members of the City Council have a short memory or are not even aware of what the unions did, and continue to do, for this City. Who was it that traveled to Albany every year, at their own expense and on their time, to lobby the state delegation to bring more funding to Yonkers? The coalition of City Unions, that's who. People like Anthony Pagano, Tommy Manzo, Steve Frey, Charlie Cola, with the tireless efforts of their memberships, rallied and hounded the officials in Albany to get Yonkers it's fair share. If it wasn't for us, the city would have went under years ago. We had to do what the city administration could not accomplish. 

Mother Teresa Tribute Denied

 June 9, 2010, New York, NY -- Anthony Malkin, owner of the Empire State Building, released a statement today saying, "As a privately owned building, ESB (Empire State Building) has a specific policy against any other lighting for religious figures or requests by religions and religious organizations."

Commenting is Catholic League president Bill Donohue:

A Statement from Yonkers Fire Fighters Local 628 President José A. Caraballo

Some comments herein may be construed as veiled threats upon property or of bodily harm. Please clarify any statements as fully as possible so that your concepts and expression of thought is clear. Yonkers Tribune solicits your comments shamelessly. We also want to protect all who may wish to comment by stating that the strength of every perspective is its "truth." Each of us recognize this forum is like a central square where ideas must be exchanged and heard. Avoid confrontation, albeit anonymous. Say it as clearly as you can. Yonkers wants to hear your point of view. Thank you. Kindly, Hezi Aris, Publisher.

On Saturday June 6, 2010, The Armour Villa Residents were having their annual picnic which is attended by everyone in thie community. The neighborhood association requested that the firefighters of Station 11 attend so that the local children could see the fire engine and meet the firefighters.

Statement of Rick Lazio on the Resignation of Helen Thomas

 Asks "Where was the outrage from Andrew Cuomo?"

June 7, 2010, New York, NY - Rick Lazio issued the following statement today in response to the resignation of Helen Thomas:

Rick Lazio said, "The Helen Thomas affair unfortunately indicates that Anti-Semitism is alive in America in powerful places. Her resignation is appropriate, but real questions remain. How many people share her view about Jews and Israel; and where was the outrage from the Obama Administration and Andrew Cuomo?"

Back to the Present BY JAMES BRADY

City Employees Aren’t to Blame for Money Woes By Albert J.Cerrato (circa - 1975)

May 27, 2010, Yonkers, NY -- I am expressing my concerns for the sorry state of affairs that we are currently enduring. I am attaching a letter to the editor from the mid 1970's. This letter is being sent with the full knowledge of the writer of that letter. Assistant Chief Al Cerrato made his opinion known to the editor 35 years ago, and it as relevant today as then. I am reminded of the saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same".

The Prince of Cuomo-Lot

Mother Teresa Campaign Continues BY BILL DONOHUE

 Day 11 of the Protest Campaign Effort on Behalf of Mother Teresa

May 26, 2010, New York, NY -- Today I am writing to the members of the New York City Council notifying them that Anthony Malkin, the owner of the Empire State Building, has decided not to overrule those who have chosen to deny a tribute to Mother Teresa: our request to have the towers shine blue and white, the colors of her congregation, on August 26th, the 100th anniversary of her birth (and the day the U.S. Postal Service is honoring her with a commemorative stamp), was denied without explanation. Yet the same persons who chose to stiff Mother Teresa decided to honor the Chinese Communist revolution last year, even though 77 million innocent men, women and children were murdered under Mao Zedong.

New York Post Editorial Asserts Yonkers is the Athens of America

May 24, 2010, New York, NY -- What follows is the editorial published by the New York Post on May 22, 2010: 

Maybe Yonkers should change its name to Greece. Indeed, if you read yesterday's [“Padded Pensions Add to New York Fiscal Woes" By Mary Williams Walsh and Amy Schoenfeld] front-page New York Times story about Yonkers municipal pensions, you might think Yonkers is Greece.