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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Voting is taking place this week in the New York primary, and we are going to focus today on the interesting Democratic primary for mayor of Yonkers. Early voting is underway there too, last until Sunday, then primary day itself is next Tuesday. For those of you who haven't cast your ballots yet, we're going to do a deep dive into the candidates and the numerous political scandals that some of them are allegedly involved in, as well as the major issues at the center of this election.

Yonkers listeners we've done Yonkers segments before and you have showed up big time on the phone, so who are you supporting for mayor 212433 WNYC? Are you sticking with the old guard, Mike Spano? He's seeking his fourth term. Are you looking for something new in three-term City Council Member Corazon Pineda Isaac, special education teacher, Reverend Margaret Fountain Coleman, or someone else? What issue is most important to you in this election? Yonkers show up. We are here for you.

You'll be here for our listeners, 212433-WNYC 212-433-9692. Joining us now to discuss the Yonkers mayor primary are David McKay Wilson, columnist for The Journal News or lohud.com, part of the USA Today Network in New York, covering the Lower Hudson Valley. That's why lohud.com, and AJ Woodson, Editor-in-Chief of Black Westchester Magazine. David, welcome back, and AJ, welcome to WNYC.

AJ Woodson: Good morning,

David McKay Wilson: Good to be here.

Brian Lehrer: In the call out to listeners, I mentioned some of the candidates running for Mayor David, do you want to start us off by further introducing us to these candidates and their background? Who's on the ballot?

David McKay Wilson: Sure. We've got Mayor Mike Spano part of the Spano political family. He's been power-- Lifelong politician. He's now going for his fourth term. When he was first elected, Yonkers mayors could only serve two terms. He's now been City Council is now twice extended term limits in Spano's favor. He's going for a fourth term. He's up against Corazon Pineda Isaac. She served three terms in the City Council. She's a Latina hoping to energize her base.

She's more on the left with the support of the Working Families Party, Community Voices Heard, pushing more affordable housing in the city. Then Margaret Fountain Coleman educator, African-American. She is energizing people for public safety and more housing. It's a--

Brian Lehrer: AJ you want to give us more and build on what David was saying about the political spectrum here. I know Spano has described himself as a "hardcore moderate in the middle." He was formerly a Republican, I believe, while in the State Senate, Corazon Pineda Isaac called Spano, a quasi-Republican meaning even today. Can you compare and contrast at least those two?

AJ Woodson: Margaret Coleman Fountain she's also, her husband's the president of the Yonkers NAACP. She's been a strong critic of Spano on certain issues, especially around public safety. She also was the first African-American councilwoman in Tuckahoe some years back. I do want to say something about the term limits. I covered that extensively. A lot of people are still not happy with that because the people voted for term limits and then the people voted not to extend it twice.

The last two times, the council just voted without going to the people, and the people were very upset that they didn't take it back to the people. That seems to be an issue. I don't know if they're going to hold that against Spano on not.

Brian Lehrer: Shades of New York City, AJ, right?

AJ Woodson: Yes.

Brian: Because there were two referendums in the city imposing and then reaffirming term limits. Then City Council, when Mayor Mike Bloomberg wanted to run for a third term City Council, flipped it without another referendum and he ran again and got elected again. This is eerily similar to that.

AJ Woodson: Right. He came on our show while he was in the second term and said he was not running again, he had no desire to run again. Then two, three weeks later announced that he was running again. People are still using the video from the show showing that he said he wasn't running and now he's running again. I don't know how many people are going to hold that against him. I know he gave the police and fire new contracts. He seemed to have the support of those unions which could be very big.

Corazon, she does have the Working Family Party. I don't know how she'll do, I think my sources right now show that Mike is probably the front-runner, and Margaret Colman is probably second, but you never know what's going to happen.

Brian Lehrer: Here's Liza in Yonkers. Who wants to say something about the referendum I think. Liza, you're on WNYC. Hello?

Liza: Hi, thanks for taking my call. Yes. We were at City Hall when the public had a chance to speak about the referendum when Spano was going for his third term. No one wanted him to be able to do that. He has a lot of family employed through City Hall. He has a lot of pull with various groups, and it feels like the goons show up to enforce his opinions. It's a really serious situation here. There was a press conference about two weeks ago made up of various disparate groups because there's a lot of unhappiness about the unbridled construction that's going on in Yonkers.

Basically, the public, which is not vocal, we are vocal is constantly just pushed out of the way and shut down. As far as whether people really want him to have a fourth term, I would say absolutely not. Whether he's good at gymming up support and constantly putting himself out there with his face everywhere in Yonkers yes, he's good at that. He may get that.

Brian Lehrer: Let me follow up with you on two things you said. One when you said the goons show up, that has potentially serious criminal implications.

Are you suggesting physical intimidation by goons in that respect, or are you just political power?

Liza: To call someone a goon it's I guess an opinion, but there have been times when there has been physical intimidation used. People have been pushed around. These are at public forums when in polite conversation, when someone has raised issues about advancement in Yonkers there's definitely been intimidation.

Brian Lehrer: Liza, thank you very much. David, that's a serious charge and obviously one that we can't just take as fact because the caller said it. Do you have any reporting at Lohud on physical intimidation on the part of people reporting to, or loyal to Mayor Spano in any context?

David McKay Wilson: I was at the council meetings when they were addressing the term limits bill to extend it this year, and they were Yonkers, quintessential Yonkers, somewhat raucous, and [laughs] people speaking from the audience. One guy was hustled out of the chambers by the police. He's now facing questionable charges. I'm not sure how that's all. He's had 18 court sessions, and it's over in Orange County now because nobody in Westchester would-- None of the judges in Westchester would hear the case. I couldn't say that there were. It was crowded in there but I didn't see any violence or anything.

Brian Lehrer: AJ, anything to add on that point?

AJ Woodson: It was very heated. I do know the individual who was removed. His name is Hector Santiago. He was head of the Stop and Shake initiative, the better policing and community relations. I'm not sure what happened. I just saw he got pulled, there was some pushing and shoving and he got removed by the police, I believe. It was very heated that night and the two nights before that. The night that they voted to put it on the ballot. I'd have to put it on the agenda for the next meeting of the City Council.

David McKay Wilson: Extending term limits.

AJ Woodson: It was very, very heated.

Brian Lehrer: David according--

AJ Woodson: People were very passionate [unintelligible 00:11:26].

Brian Lehrer: David, according to your reporting in Lohud, since the last time you were on, there are currently is at 15 members of the Spano family on the city of Yonkers' payroll totaling $2 million in salaries and benefits per year, raising the issue of nepotism? Give us a brief summary of that reporting.

David McKay Wilson: It's actually up to 19 now because there's further reporting that boosted it up to 19. There's some who are of Mike's generation. Others are nieces and nephews, many of them are in civil service positions. Some of them are cops, firefighters, teachers. There's been questions raised as to favoritism granted. I did a story on one of his nephews who has risen up in the Public Works Department through the good graces of the Public Works Commissioner who happens to be the chairman of the Democratic Party in Yonkers.

There's a mixture of nepotism and patronage in the government.

Brian Lehrer: Is there a difference?

David McKay Wilson: Between patronage and nepotism, sure. Patronage comes through political ties. Nepotism comes through family ties. I suppose in here, there's a bit of a confluence of the two.

Brian Lehrer: When does it become either illegal, AJ, or ethically corrupt even if it's not illegal?

AJ Woodson: The nepotism and cronyism and all of that is not just limited to Mount Vernon. That seems to be--

David McKay Wilson: Yonkers.

AJ Woodson: I mean Yonkers. Even though there appears to be more according to David's reporting, I didn't know there was that many people employed. I got that from David's story. We've had that through Mount Vernon and some of the other municipalities. Oh, I didn't want to say I did find out that the gentleman Hector Santiago, he's supposed to be going to court tomorrow.

Brian Lehrer: Was he pro-Spano or anti-Spano?

AJ Woodson: I don't know who he was for. I deal with so much noise there, there were people holding up signs, "Four more years," and there were people holding up the signs, "Let the people vote." There was a lot of shouting on both sides. He was in the back. I think he had his arm in a sling. One of his arms in a sling. I just saw some pushing and pulling between him and at least one police officer. I really didn't [crosstalk]

Brian Lehrer: He's going to court tomorrow. As we talked about the Democratic primary for mayor of Yonkers, with David Mckay Wilson, columnist for The Journal News or lohud.com on the web, and AJ Woodson, Editor-In-Chief of Black Westchester Magazine. Eric in Yonkers, you're on WNYC. Hi, Eric.

Eric: Hi. I am a longtime Yonkers resident, and I don't have any special insight into the inner workings of all this, but I do know that if you look at your mailings if you watch TV, you will find only Spano. There's nothing coming from Corazon and I hadn't even realized that there was another person running. The big question that I have for your guests, I guess it was last year, the year before when Andrea Stewart-Cousins was obviously a shoo-in for state senator. Now I believe that Mike Spano is a shoo-in for mayor.

Why would two Latinos sacrifice their careers, commit political suicide? We're talking about Virginia Perez, who ran against Andrea Stewart-Cousins and now Corazon. They must know that they don't have any chance whatsoever of winning. People do know that there's a term limit argument. I'm not necessarily a big fan of Spano and everything, but you have to admit that there's been things happening in terms of the economy, and schools, and even safety that are positive.

This really doesn't seem to be any chance that anybody's going to beat Spano. Why would these two who seemingly have promising careers just when there's no chance? [unintelligible 00:16:18]

Brian Lehrer: Interesting question. Thank you. Of course, you can sometimes advance your career even by losing, because you get your name in the news as the one who went up against Andrea Stewart-Cousins or the one who went up against Spano. Then the next time you run for something where maybe you have a bigger chance, they go, "Oh, that person." I don't know. AJ, you have any other theory as to why if you accept his premise that Spano is a shoo-in, these candidates are doing it or the one who ran against Andrea Stewart-Cousins?

AJ Woodson: First, I'll speak about Virginia Perez. I haven't heard a peep from her since she lost that race against Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Now I spoke to both Margaret and Corazon and I shared my thoughts. I think that they would have had a better chance if one of them ran, not both of them because if there's an anti-Spano vote, I believe that they're going to split it. If the objective is to get Spano out, one of them would have had a chance with the other one's support, as opposed to both of them, which I believe personally that they're going to split the vote.

Brian Lehrer: It makes sense that an anti-Spano vote and a pro-Spano vote are the two main blocks here and so the anti-Spano vote does risk splitting. Is this a rank-choice voting election, Aj?

AJ Woodson: No, it's not. They should bring that to Westchester. No, there's no rank-choice voting in Westchester at all. Oh, to answer your other question, Hector Santiago is anti-Spano. I do know that. I think I said I wasn't sure.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you. David, why are these two opponents of Spano both running? Why don't they consolidate behind one or another of them if their real goal is to bring progressive change, which I guess they both say they represent politically to Yonkers?

David McKay Wilson: That's a good question, Brian. I don't know. Everybody's free to run, but it definitely does favor the fact that you have a three-way race instead of a two-way race. Certainly favors Mike Spano because there's going to be a split of the anti-Spano vote. I don't know. That's a good question.

Brian Lehrer: Let's get one more in here. How about Wilson in Yonkers? You're on WNYC. Hi, Wilson.

Wilson: Hi, Brian. How are you? Good morning.

Brian Lehrer: Good morning. What would you like to say?

Wilson: That just basically Brian, as Dominican-American and former council majority leader, I had the opportunity to work with Mayor Mike Spano. Earlier on, the mayor acknowledged the strength and potential of the Hispanic community. I know AJ understand that as well. [unintelligible 00:19:36].

Brian Lehrer: Just so everybody knows who you are, you are Wilson Terrero, former City Council majority leader in Yonkers.

Wilson: [unintelligible 00:19:42].

Brian Lehrer: Go ahead. I'm sorry. Because you're an official in the city. Just identifying you. Go ahead.

Wilson: I'm sorry. He allocated more resources to reach out to the minority communities and for that, the results-- We have more Hispanic police officers, private teachers, and civil service employees. I know people who have called, you have to take a test in order to work in the city. Those resources that he's allocated has helped some of the minority community to be able to have a chance as well in city government. For that, it's clear to me that Mayor Mike Spano is our only choice to continue moving our city forward. That's basically--

Brian Lehrer: You're still a pro-Spano. When you talk about taking the test, according to David's reporting in Lohud, Lenny Spano, nephew of the mayor, received two promotions even before the civil service exam. Are you aware of that?

Wilson: No, I was not aware of that, but I can tell you this, we have more Latinos and minorities right now in city government in Yonkers than ever before. The minority representation in Yonkers has expand under Mike Spano administration.

Brian Lehrer: Even though he's the white guy in the race, if you want to look at it in racial terms, you're saying he's the best candidate for the Black and Latino populations?

Wilson: There's no doubt about it. Let's not get complacent. The progress of the Hispanics in Yonkers is Mike Spano, and he has showing that, and he continue to do that.

Brian Lehrer: Wilson, thank you for your call. David, interesting. Do you know him?

David McKay Wilson: Yes, I know of him. Mike Spano, he's got a good network in the city, and his support comes across party lines and racial and ethnic lines as well.

Brian Lehrer: AJ, last word as we wrap up this segment?

AJ Woodson: I do want to say something to what Wilson said. It's not surprising that there's more Hispanic leadership. After the 2020 census, the Hispanic population makes up roughly around 40% of the county population, and maybe over 50% going towards 60% of the population in Yonkers, so it would make sense for there to be a want for more leadership in Hispanic leadership since their numbers are growing.

Brian Lehrer: There we leave it on the Yonkers Democratic mayoral primary. Hopefully, with all those Yonkers' calls that have come in and that we could keep taking if we had more time, and our guests, some of you in Yonkers who maybe weren't paying attention to the Democratic primary for mayor, because this is going to be a low turnout election all over the state in most cases. Not a lot of focus here at all.

We've done several segments on several different primaries going on in New York right now, and there's one on the Yonkers mayoral race. Hope you found it informative. Now, voters go out and do more of your own research and figure out who you want to vote for. David McKay Wilson is a columnist for The Journal News or lohud.com on the web. AJ Woodson is Editor-In-Chief of Black Westchester Magazine. Thank you both so much.

AJ Woodson: Thank you.

David McKay Wilson: Thank you, Brian.

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