Ron Matten

Every budget season in Yonkers, we are inundated with stories of the fiscal cliff that municipal Yonkers faces. Every year our elected officials plead with Albany to give us our fair share. Albany gives Yonkers a fraction of what it deserves, and in the end, the taxpayer is on the hook.

Yonkers’ borrowing is out of control. Last year, Yonkers Public Schools could not afford new textbooks, so the COY bonded for $4.6 million. Moody’s bond rating service downgraded Yonkers’ general obligation bonds in 2019 and then again in January 2021. This city is creating a debt balloon. Even New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli criticized Yonkers for its practice of bonding tax certioraris. A tax certiorari is when a property owner challenges their property taxes. When Yonkers loses, the City borrows millions to pay back the property owners that were incorrectly taxed.

When I open my tax bill every year, I cannot understand the perpetual increases. The Council lacks a diversity of voices and it never seems that the taxpayer is heard. The Yonkers Council President has authority over the Inspector General equal to that of the Mayor. It is time for the Council President delve into Yonkers’ fiscal operations. The taxpayer deserves fiscal leadership. I am choosing to run, as I can contribute to the fiscal stability of Yonkers, while improving the quality of life.