Democrats in Tuckahoe will try to win control of local government for the first time in 10 years. And if successful, it could have lasting ramifications for the village Republican Party.
The election, set for March 16, will be historic when voters elect Republican Gina Lee or Democrat Omayra Andino as the village’s first female mayor. Both candidates are sitting trustees.
Currently, Democrats hold two of the five seats on the Board of Trustees with three of those seats up for election to two-year terms.
On the heels of a contentious September 2020 election–postponed twice due to COVID-19–that saw both parties re-elect incumbents, many of this year’s candidates have described the political environment around Tuckahoe as “increasingly toxic,” mirroring much of the divisiveness seen on the national level.
Peripherally, suburban Westchester has borne witness to a groundswell of progressive momentum ever since Donald Trump’s election in 2016, yet Tuckahoe hasn’t seen the large Democratic gains—even as Republicans face a growing voter registration disadvantage—evident in many towns and villages throughout the county.
Since 2016, Republicans in Tuckahoe have won 70% of village board races, albeit by mostly razor-thin margins, stymying new enthusiasm among younger Democrats.
Lee, 46, believes the success has been due to Republicans’ bipartisan appeal. “More moderate Democrats are not for the agenda of today’s Democrats,” said Lee, a self-employed fitness instructor who teaches classes out of the Tuckahoe Community Center. “We’ve been able to get votes from more moderate and traditional Democrats.”
But that may all change.
If Democrats secure control of the board, on their radar is a plan to authorize a public referendum that could shift the date of the village election from March to November, according to Andino, a CEO of a nonprofit that works with developmentally disabled people. The change would align village elections with all county, state and federal elections. But the move requires the majority approval of voters since village elections were set by the state of New York.
“In a nutshell, I want people to decide if they want to move the election to November,” Andino, 51, said.
Changing the election could handicap the GOP’s future prospects with the perception that Democratic voters historically turn out stronger for November elections.
Village board Republicans already voted down the move once before, in a 3-2 party line vote in January 2020 when brought forward by Trustee Renee Howell, 58, a Democrat seeking re-election this month alongside Andino and trustee candidate Darryl Taylor, 62.
That backdrop is just one of many issues in a campaign of contrasting styles where a handful of votes could swing the election.
“This election is about preserving the village, our identity and traditions,” said Lee adding that Republicans are centering their platform on “maintaining the integrity and character of the village.”
Nearing the end of her first term in office, Lee and trustee candidates Anthony Campanile, 48, and Scooter Scott, 60, believe Tuckahoe is well positioned to move forward and accuse Democrats of wanting to radically change the community.
Scott, a theatrical stagehand with Local One IATSE, said his candidacy was sparked by the “tone and tenor” of Democrats’ campaign literature circulated during the 2020 campaign. “I’m a firm believer in inclusion and diversity, but I don’t believe in demonizing people you don’t agree with,” said Scott, who is black.
Democrats, however, paint a far different picture.
Andino, who has lived in Tuckahoe for seven years, says Republicans lack any tangible plan and claims they are only interested in taking care of their own supporters. “For [Republicans], it’s just talk,” she said. “They don’t come up with any ideas. They don’t have anything to stand for.”
Republicans say they’re focused on: holding the line on taxes, helping businesses steer out of the pandemic and a shuttered economy and keeping Tuckahoe affordable for families. “We know the tax burden, we know hard it is. I’m well aware small businesses are suffering,” Lee said. “The bottom line is, we’re not looking to reinvent the wheel.”
A 16-year resident, Lee pointed to her work with senior citizens—as the village liaison—and delivering food to families during the pandemic.
Her opponent, Andino first entered politics in 2018 as the lone Democrat elected to the village board; she was re-elected in September 2020 and as a Hispanic could become the first person of color elected mayor. Since joining the board, Andino says she has worked hard to make village government more accessible and inclusive to all residents. “More people want to be involved now,” she added.
That was what resonated with Taylor, a longtime Republican.
After volunteering with Andino’s campaign last year, Taylor, a retired Westchester County corrections officer who is black, switched his voter registration to independent and decided to run with the Democrats.
“Since [Andino] has come in, she has shaken up the apple cart,” he said. “She received a lot of pushback for that and that just naturally drew me.”
Accessibility for all residents is at the forefront of the Democrats’ campaign, along with COVID recovery and updating the village’s master plan, which was last amended in 2014. Andino said that platform grew out of necessity as a result of the pandemic. “It’s about having a plan, which right now we do not have,” she said. “We’re living day by day only because I took the reins.”
Through her profession, Andino facilitated early COVID testing for residents last year and more recently provided several rounds of vaccine distribution for seniors in the community. “I can leverage my contacts to help us here in Tuckahoe,” she said. “That is something that small municipalities like Tuckahoe can’t normally get.”
Howell, a senior director for clinical affairs and scientific support for Siemens Healthineers, says she has focused a lot of her time on improving communication between the Building Department and business owners and residents. She said it has been exciting to see more people get engaged but wants it to continue. “We have great diversity in our community, but it’s not reflected in our [village] board,” she said.
Regardless of Tuesday’s outcome, the incoming board will have to quickly pivot to village business and finalize a 2022 fiscal year operating budget, which begins on June 1. Village officials are projecting a $1 million revenue shortfall, a direct result of the economic shutdown.
The Republican Campanile, a recently retired Yonkers police officer, sees himself in a unique position to better understand the needs of small businesses as the former owner of nearby Crestwood Taxi on Columbus Avenue. “We as a board need to be there for business owners,” he said. “My experience will have a great role in assisting business owners out of the pandemic.”
Lee stressed that Republicans aren’t interested in raising taxes or cutting services in the upcoming budget. “We’re looking into grants because money is cheap right now,” she said as funding becomes more accessible through the federal government.
Andino believes there are also ways to create additional revenue streams and has proposed marketing the village to TV and film companies. With Tuckahoe’s close proximity to New York City and small town feel, Andino believes there’s an opportunity.
In 2020, the village collected nearly $73,000 from filming in town. By comparison, only $13,000 has been generated so far this fiscal year. “If we position ourselves and market ourselves we could get a lot of people to come here,” she said.
CONTACT: chris@hometwn.com
