White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Connecting the Dots in Yonkers

WPCNR WESTCHESTER CONFIDENTIAL. July 23, 2003. By EHezi, The Yonkers Tribune: Jonkheers hadn’t been seen in weeks. Ever part of the "glitterati," she now ached for the quiet serenity of relaxing at the home of one of her close friends, sharing a meal accompanied by a glass of wine, and serenaded by scintillating conversation. As luck would have it, Hedda Tattler, one of Jonkeers’ best school friends had flown in on her private jet earlier this morning. Jonkheers picked her up at Westchester County Airport and they drove to Jonkheers’ home overlooking the Hudson. As the sun submitted to the challenge of the moon during the early evening hours, Hedda and Jonkheers were off to visit Lisa at her newly purchased home for a sumptuous repast. They would be joined by Loretta, Kadeesha, Joanna, and Zita.

The first glasses of wine were drunk almost in desperation to relax from the harangue of the day, no, the oppression of the past month. Jonkheers was absorbed by the "tug and pull" of the political scene. The political "game" was causing a lot of "bloodletting." It was a scary time. Maneuverings by one camp or another, each looking for an upper hand. Deals were being consummated left and right. The "good ole boy’s club" was "making friends and influencing" people of every political camp. Tonight would be shared with best friends permitting Jonkheers to be insulated from the intensity of the political winds whirling about her home town.

With best friends at each other’s side, the conversation would first turn to sex. Who was dating whom, whose marriage was on the rocks, who was going through the travails of divorce, how the kids were doing, and so on.

Before too long, Hedda mentioned that she had been keeping up with the news in Yonkers on the YonkersTribune.com and TheJournalNews.com Web sites from her vacation home on Lake Como. Hedda mentioned that she was appalled to find that the mudslinging in Yonkers seemed to continue to drag their home town through the muck. Hedda said, "When will Yonkers find its rightful place? A place commensurate with Yonkers being the fourth largest city in New York?

Zita suggested, "Let’s drink to Yonkers!" To which, every Cartier crystal goblet was raised to the sound of the most mellow "clinging" sound and the cheer of "Cin, cin!" from Joanna, who spoke fluent Italian. Hedda nodded acknowledgement to the toast, Kadeesha chimed in with "Cheers!" and Loretta said, " I’ll drink to that!"

Joanna said that she was appalled by the six some odd pages in The Journal News that was touted as an investigative report into developer Joe Spiezio. Joanna said, "Joe Spiezio, no matter what people may say now, has created an indelible imprint on the Yonkers landscape that cannot be taken away from him."

Zita broke in with, "And the following week there was an article that had something to do about him having some parking tickets dismissed. The Journal News made it seem that he was one of the privileged few in Yonkers when it was the administrative judge that permitted them to be dismissed. They wouldn’t have dismissed the fines if he was in the wrong, would they?

"No they wouldn’t," said Loretta! "Both ‘investigative reports needed to be ‘read between the lines’, that is, that there was some impropriety going on. Well if that is the case, then why was there no substance to the reporting? Just a lot of innuendo, and a lot of erroneous 'facts.' If anything, the administration was made to look like they had poor judgement. It was evident to me that the articles were designed to discredit Spiezio yet the administration has egg on its face!"

Kadeesha added, "The following weekend, I read that Mayor Spencer had requested that Attorney General Spitzer investigate the alleged corruption and influencewielded by Senator Nick Spano upon the election process. But then I read today that there is some sort of development project along the Yonkers waterfront that has people who Spencer claims are corrupt, involved in projects of development in Yonkers. Don’t you think that’s weird?"

"You bet it is!" expressed Hedda as she refilled her glass. "I hear that the Feds were so disgusted with Mayor Spencer’s approach, that they are investigating his administration now. Spencer seems to be burning a lot of bridges. I heard he was contemplating running for the County Executive position now held by Andy Spano. On the one hand he alleges Jeanine Pirro is corrupt and on the other hand he is working with her husband, Al Pirro, Jr. on the Ridge Hill Village project and the Alexander Street project. What I find suspicious is that the Alexander Street project received four proposals from developers interested in the $1 billion dollar project. I wonder why there wasn’t public notice regarding the bidding process. I know some people who would be interested in the project."

"More than that," continued Hedda, "I don’t know what Spencer was thinking when he alleged there was corruption that required investigation. Spencer’s daughter, from his first marriage, holds a job with the D.A.’s office. Can you imagine how embarrassing it must have been for her to walk into her office the day after The Journal News article which alleged that the D.A. Pirro isn't doing her job? Please!

Jonkheers said, "I can’t stand it any more. It seems every politician has an agenda. It seems self-centered. When will someone come forward and do the right thing for 'We the People?' Getting to the truth is an impossibility. People keep changing sides, changing positions. Too many are running for a ‘job" while making deals behind smoke-filled rooms. I even heard that some of the candidates are pawns for one side or another. It has become a shell game and rather than understanding what is going on, I am more confused than ever!"

"While Yonkers is undergoing a boom, development projects with many more to come," said Kadeesha, "I know that qualified Yonkers residents, who own Yonkers based businesses and are expert in their field, are not included in the development and the money that comes with the development. While I don’t remember his name, at the UNITY sponsored ‘Candidates’ Night’ at the Riverfront Library last night, a guy, who owns a Yonkers based business, who has done work for the MTA at Kennedy Airport, has been excluded from being part of the boom in Yonkers. It may be because ‘people of color’ are simply not included in the scheme of things in Yonkers. Perhaps he is simply not part of the ‘old boys’ network. It’s time Yonkers showed preference for its own. The problem is that there aren’t enough people who will take their passion and rectify injustice the only way possible, that being the ballot booth. How much longer before people wake up to the power of the vote?"

"The thing that appalls me," said Zita, "is the fact that there have been for profit corporations set up, that include present administration officials as directors of the board. It offends me that the directors of the board of some of these development project corporations, in spite of term limits, can continue to stay on those boards despite their not being in office. In fact they could even draw a salary from those for profit organization. Corporations like the Yonkers Baseball Project and the Ridge Hill Project and the Nepperhan Valley Project and others. In fact, someone from the Yonkers City Council mentioned that they too were concerned about that. They suggested that the City Council is considering to write an ‘edict’ that would state that those board members presently sitting on the for profit corporations be automatically replaced by individuals that take office from the incoming administration. Despite not being a lawyer, I would think that an ‘edict’ issued after the fact, would have no influence of any kind on the present board of directors of any for profit organization. In fact the Yonkers City Council, even if they pass such a ‘law’ would have no influence over the directors of the board of any for profit corporation incorporated in New York State. To have any influence would require that the incorporation process be changed. My sensibilities are offended because some people, who are sure not to be part of the next elected administration, will have the ability to maintain their position on the boards of these for profit corporations and potentially draw a whopping salary."

Loretta said, "It seems just as Yonkers is getting back on its feet, people outside of Yonkers are smelling the potential of making some ‘big bucks’ in Yonkers. Will we be ‘raped’ again? Who will protect us?"

Jonkheers said, "I even heard that YonkersTribune.com, that independent internet Webpaper was threatened to be shut down because someone high up in the administration didn’t like some of the anonymous comments made. It seems if you don’t agree with some people in Yonkers you are prone to intimidation and worse. I hear the Editor / Publisher was threatened with physical assault by a heavy set guy from the middle of the street on Main Street last Saturday while he was talking to Phil Amicone on the telephone at the time. That same heavy set guy approached St. Joseph’s Hospital to demand that they not advertise on the Yonkers Tribune Web site. Financial intimidation. It makes my stomach turn!"

Hedda said, "You remember Letty Intervallo, she has filed papers against the administration in a lawsuit of some kind. And Bernadette Doyle is having some issues with the administration., but I’m not sure what its all about. Then there is some ‘funny business’ going on with Maria Canales regarding the closure of the Empowerment Zone project she headed. It seems they hadn’t gotten paid and the whole operation was folded into the Office of Economic Development. What’s that all about?"

"You know what blows my mind," said Joanna, "A friend of mine that has a business in Yonkers told me that some candidates have approached him with a demand that he fork over money to one campaign or another. It is a simple shakedown, if I ever heard of one."

Jonkheers said, "I received an invitation that invited people to a Yonkers Economic Development Update to be held July 29th, 2003 at the Riverfront Library. It probably will relate to the Alexander Street project. We’ll see!"


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