2017 ELECTIONS: Re-elect Honorable Mary Anne Scattaretico-Naber for Yonkers City Court Judge – March 1st at 6pm at The Old Stone Mill

2017 ELECTIONS: MIke Khader’s Campaign Kick-Off for Yonkers City Council President – March 8, 2017 At 6pm

YONKERS MINORITY CITY COUNCIL LEADER MICHAEL SABATINO

Michael was born and raised in the Bronx and has been a resident of Yonkers for the last thirty years. He most recently served as the Education Chair of the Human Rights Commission for the City of Yonkers until his election to the City Council in Nov 2011.

He is one of the founding members of the Yonkers Committee for Smart development and the River Community Coalition of Yonkers. He has been involved in many grassroots activities in the community, including being part of efforts to landmark an historic home in his neighborhood.

He served as Sr. Warden at his Church, Zion Episcopal from 2007-2011, where in the last 16 months of his term he was acting administrator while a search for a new priest was ongoing.

He received his early education at St. Raymond Grammar and High School in the Bronx. He graduated from St. John’s University with a BS in Medical Technology and from Long Island University with MS in Medical Biology.

His early career was spent working as a hospital laboratory technologist, pharmaceutical researcher, and teacher. In 1993 he became one of the principals in LEAP Technologies, a company that sells robotic instruments to scientific and research laboratories. He is currently the Director of Channel Sales and serves on their Board of Directors.

He was married in 2003 to Robert Voorheis with whom he has been in a committed relationship since 1978.

YONKERS EVENT: West African Art Festival in Yonkers – February 24-26th At 16 Warburton Avenue

PRESS RELEASE: Yonkers approves contracts for educators

YONKERS, NY – The Yonkers City Council unanimously approved new long-term labor agreements with the Yonkers Council of Administrators (YCA) and the Yonkers Federation of Teachers (YFT) on Tuesday.

The latter contract had been held up by the Council pending an agreement on the immediate implementation of an e-mail policy requiring teachers to respond to parent’s and administrator’s e-mails.

“This is an important victory for parents, which now requires teachers to answer their emails,” Council President Liam McLaughlin said. “This is a common sense improvement that will further the communication process between parents and teachers and encourage parental involvement in their children’s education. We appreciate both sides negotiating in good faith.”

In a bipartisan 6-1 vote last Tuesday, the City Council had held the YFT contract over in committee and asked Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada to continue discussions with the YFT and to try and reach agreement on the email issue.

“Many of our teachers already use e-mail to communicate regularly, and I applaud them for it,” Council President McLaughlin said. “I’d like to thank the Mayor, the Board of Education and particularly Dr. Quezada, Rev. Steve Lopez and the rest of the Trustees for all their hard work in negotiating this fair contract, and for working to resolve the issue over the e-mail policy, which was a top priority for both the PTA and this Council. We would additionally like thank the Yonkers Council of Administrators President Jane Wermuth for her cooperative nature and openness in dealing with the City Council.”

The new e-mail policy should take effect immediately and be online for the upcoming school year with efforts by the City’s Department of Information Technology, which now serves both the municipal government and the school district. “The 2014 inter municipal agreement between the City and the School District has proven useful and has given the Council more oversight into matters like this. In the end, it is our parents who are the real winners,” McLaughlin added.

Majority Leader John Larkin said, “This process has always been about one thing: our children’s education. As the father of four graduates of the Yonkers Public Schools, I know how important it is to maintain open lines of communication between parents and teachers. This is a policy that should have been in place a long time ago and I’m glad everyone stepped up to make it happen.”

Education Committee Chairman Mike Breen said, “Our children deserve nothing but the best. By bringing 21st century technology to the classroom, we will improve parental involvement above and beyond what is already taking place, such as phone calls and traditional face-to-face meetings. The extra time that was taken to resolve this matter has resulted in an even better contract agreement.”

Council member Dennis Shepherd said, “Technology is the way of the future. We see a lot of our students and parent and teacher organizations being innovative every day with things like social media, so it stands to reason that e-mail should also be a form of communication. We have an e-mail system that works, so let’s use it.”

Both contracts call for annual raises of around two percent between July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2021.

YONKERS TRIBUNE: John Spencer, Poor Little Rich Man Gets a $30,000 Pay Increase

It was in the opening days of March 2015 that Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced that Yonkers Office of Veteran Services has hired decorated veteran and former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer as the department’s veteran advocate.

The “no show” position was spoken about as if replete with responsibility as expressed by Mayor Spano when he said, “We are proud to have John join the City’s workforce once again. There is no question of John’s commitment and passion for our city, especially towards his fellow veterans. When a veteran comes home, he or she may be vulnerable in adapting to home life. John will be available to these veterans 24-7, every step of the way. John’s first-hand experience and compassion for the needs of our veterans will be a great addition to the services our VA provides for our community.”

In fact it was none other than the Yonkers City Council President Liam McLaughlin who beseeched Mayor Spano to hire his friend John Spencer to the position that would come with a $65,000 per annum remuneration.

Yonkers Tribune has learned through anonymous sources In the know that Mayor Mike Spano has been so impressed by Hon. John “The Little Rich Man” Spencer’s “No Show” responsibilities that he was allocated an additional $30,000 more to his salary.

many have recently learned that John Spencer and Wife Cathy Spring Spencer and their children have suffered foreclosure proceedings and must therefor vacate the premises by the end of next month.

Spencer can now count on an approximately $100,000 pension for serving as a Yonkers City Councilman and as Mayor of Yonkers, the new salary of $95,000 for the responsibilities, such as they are, for the Yonkers Office of Veteran Services, and the income of his wife Cathy Spring Spencer who serves at the pleasure of Yonkers City Council President Liam McLaughlin at a remuneration of $140,000 per annum. for those who may have welled up with emotion in the opening paragraphs, no need to find a tin cup in order to collect funds for former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer.

No updates to John Spencer’s accomplishments have ever made the light of day since his appointment.

http://www.yonkerstribune.com/2017/02/john-spencer-poor-little-rich-man-gets-a-30000-pay-increase-by-hezi-aris

YONKERS EVENT: Closed Fire Station 1 – Rescue 1 – Community Forum this Wednesday Evening, February 15, 2017 At 6pm

YONKERS, NY — February 1, 2017 — The Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) and the International Association of Fire Fighters(I.A.F.F.) – Local 628 will be hosting another community forum at 6:00 pm this Wednesday evening, February 15th at the Brook Street Community Center (10 Brook Street) regarding Fire Station 1 (formerly situated on New School Street) and the relocation of Rescue 1 from SW Yonkers to the other side of the Yonkers.

As everyone is aware, the former Fire Station 1 was condemned and closed on June 5, 2015 resulting in the “temporary” relocation of Tower Ladder 71 to Station 3 on Vark Street, as well as the relocation of Rescue 1 to Station 7 on Central Park Avenue (on the East side of the City).

It has been over 20 months since Station 1 has been closed and these “temporary” relocations were implemented.
UFOA and I.A.F.F. – Local 628 are hosting these community forums in order to inform the residents of the West side of Yonkers how the relocation of Rescue 1 impacts them, their families and their communities. Yonkers Fire Fighters are also requesting residents to contact their elected officials and find out definitively what the plan is for replacing Station 1 and getting Rescue 1 back to the West side of the City.

Representatives of the Mayor’s office have stated to the press and at prior public forums that designs and plans for a replacement firehouse will be unveiled in the next month or so – perhaps at the Mayor’s State of the City address in March. Both unions look forward to discussing this issue with the residents of West Yonkers and also to seeing the Administration’s plans for the replacement firehouse.

As with all such future forums, all elected and appointed officials are most welcome to attend the event and speak, answer questions or otherwise participate or not.

WANTED: Yonkers Police Department Attempts To Identify Bank Robber

PRESS RELEASE: Frank Kwaw of Yonkers Found Guilty of Attempted Murder

WHITE PLAINS, NY — February 1, 2017 — Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr., yesterday announced that Frank Kwaw (DOB 05/05/91) of 73-83 Highland Avenue, Yonkers, New York, was found guilty after a jury trial before Judge Anne Minihan of:

• one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a class “B” Violent Felony,
• one count of Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a class “C” Violent Felony,
• one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class “C” Violent Felony,
• one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class “D” Felony

in the wounding of Jessica Scott.

On May 27, 2016, at approximately 7:58 p.m., the defendant was on the sidewalk in front of 73-83 Highland Avenue in Yonkers when a fight broke out between his girlfriend and a friend of the victim.

While the two females continued to fight, the defendant pulled out a handgun and fired at least six shots at Daquan Johnson, also a friend of Scott. One of those rounds struck Scott in her left hand causing a fracture. After medical treatment, Scott still suffers loss of function in that hand.

A subsequent investigation by Yonkers Police resulted in the defendant’s arrest. Shell casings were found at the scene but the gun was never recovered.

Kwaw faces twenty-five years in state prison.

He will be sentenced on March 7, 2017.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Julia Cornachio of the Superior Court Trial Division.