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State Senate candidate Anthony Merante<\/p>\n
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Mayor Mike Spano are taking a victory lap over more than $189 million in state funding for Yonkers and Yonkers Public Schools. Anthony J.\u00a0Merante\u00a0says taxpayers should be angry, not applauding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Albany is sending Yonkers all this money, why are Yonkers taxpayers still getting hit with another tax increase?\u201d\u00a0Merante\u00a0said. \u201cThe numbers do not add up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yonkers adopted a $1.64 billion FY 2026-2027 budget with a 4.75% tax rate increase. Mayor Spano had originally proposed a 5.25% increase. Either way they exceeded the state\u2019s 2% tax cap. The \u201cSpanocrats\u201d on the City Council were so proud to reduce the increase by .5%. Big Deal!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the Yonkers shell game,\u201d\u00a0Merante\u00a0said. \u201cAlbany sends money. City Hall spends money. Taxes go up. Fees go up. Water bills go up. And taxpayers are told to be grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Merante, a Yonkers CPA, former 6th District Councilmember, and candidate for the 35th State Senate District, said the issue is not whether schools need support. The issue is accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur schools need funding, but do not use the schools as a political shield for bad budgeting,\u201d\u00a0Merante\u00a0said. \u201cWhen hundreds of millions of dollars come into Yonkers and taxes still go up, taxpayers deserve to know where every dollar went.\u201d<\/p>\n
Merante\u00a0said Yonkers families, seniors, homeowners, and small businesses are being treated like an endless ATM.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough is enough,\u201d\u00a0Merante\u00a0said. \u201cYonkers needs a full accounting, as well as the one-party State government, not another press conference. We need to open both books, follow the money, and stop forcing taxpayers to pay for wasteful spending and political patronage .\u201d<\/p>\n
Merante\u00a0said stronger oversight should be on the table if City Hall cannot control spending.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Yonkers cannot get its financial house in order, then serious state oversight may be needed,\u201d\u00a0Merante\u00a0said. \u201cTaxpayers need protection from a government that keeps spending first and billing homeowners later.\u201d<\/p>\n
That is why Yonkers needs a State Senator who will fight for taxpayers, not protect the Albany and Yonkers Democratic\u00a0\u00a0political machine.\u201d<\/p>\n
About Anthony J.\u00a0Merante<\/p>\n
Anthony is currently running as the Republican candidate for New York State Senate in the 35th District. He is committed to standing up for taxpayers, seniors, homeowners, renters, and working families who want a government that serves the people\u2014not political insiders.<\/p>\n
Anthony J.\u00a0Merante\u00a0is a Certified Public Accountant, a local businessman and former Yonkers City Councilmember. A lifelong advocate for taxpayers and local communities, he served as president of the Sprain Lake Knolls Civic Association before being elected to the Yonkers City Council in 2017, where he served two terms representing the 6th District.<\/p>\n
During his eight years on the Council,\u00a0Merante\u00a0earned a reputation as an independent voice who opposed tax increases and fought to protect neighborhoods from overdevelopment. He and his wife, Yolanda, have two children and deep roots in the Yonkers community.<\/p>\n