Yonkers City Councilman Anthony Merante has become the first Republican to declare his candidacy for mayor of the city.
Merante has represented the 6th District on the City Council since 2018 and is chairman of its Legislative & Codes Committee. Before entering politics, he operated three businesses ”“ Anthony J. Merante CPA P.C., Westchester Kitchen & Bath Inc., and Four Paws Dog Grooming.
Merante”™s campaign is heavily focused on addressing crime in Yonkers. On his campaign website, he stated, “It”™s obvious to everyone that we have an urgent crime problem that can”™t be washed away with manipulated safety statistics. Many crimes are not reported as store owners do not want to reveal that a crime was committed in their establishment. In addition, numerous crimes do not end in arrests because victims do not prosecute. This results in false crime statistics.”
Yonkers”™ Mayor Mike Spano, a three-term Democrat, is seeking a fourth term that was recently enabled by a change in municipal laws. Spano has two Democrats challenging him in the upcoming primary ”“ comedian Prince Robinson, who ran in 2019, and Margaret Fountain Coleman, a special education teacher.
