NEW YORK, NY — Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano today announced his intention to seek the Democratic Party nomination for the 37th State Senate District, which will become vacant January 1st when Senator George Latimer becomes Westchester County Executive.
“We’ve turned Yonkers around during my six years as mayor,” said Spano, adding, “I want to put that record of success and leadership to work for the people of the 37th District.”
Spano released a video to launch his campaign which can be viewed at
“I’ll work to get Albany’s attention to our needs, and you can bet I’ll stand up for Westchester values against the assault we are under from the Trump administration,” said Spano.
Spano said he has been talking to Democratic activists and district leaders throughout the 37th District, and is extremely heartened by their encouragement. “The support is strong, and once the Governor sets the date for a special election, they know I’m going to hit the ground running.”
Spano said his priorities will be to fight for a fair share of education funding for Westchester school districts, to ensure the area economy remains strong, and to hold the line on taxes. “People want good jobs, they want good schools, and they don’t want to be taxed out of existence,” said Spano, “That’s what this election will be about.”
Elected as Mayor in 2011 after representing Yonkers as an Assemblyman, Spano led the City to success in a wide variety of areas. He transformed the City’s bond rating from near-junk status to an “A” rating by Moody’s and Standard & Poors. All of his submitted budgets stayed within the state property tax cap. He inherited a $55 million shortfall in school district funds due to accounting errors begun under the prior administration, and fixed the problem without resorting to layoffs or cuts in education programs.
Under Spano’s watch nearly $2 billion in private investment has flowed into the city, transforming the downtown and providing housing and jobs throughout the city. Crime is at an all-time low, and Wallet Hub recently designated Yonkers as one of the 100 best cities in the United States. “Westchester needs strong leadership in the State Senate,” he concluded. “I’m ready to provide it.”
The 37th State Senate District stretches from parts of Yonkers and New Rochelle in the south following the eastern side of the county to Bedford. It is comprised of Bedford, Bronxville, Eastchester, Harrison, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Rye, Rye Brook, Tuckahoe, White Plains and Yonkers.