Candidate -Mayor of White Plains – Milagros Lecuona
Milagros Lecuona
Party: Republican, Conservative
Milagros Lecuona has served on the White Plains Common Council for nearly 10 years. At the 2017 election cycle, she entered a bid for candidacy for the office of Mayor of White Plains as a member of the Democratic Party, forcing a primary with incumbent Mayor Tom Roach, which she lost on Sept. 12.
Vowing to not be deterred by the loss, Lecuona won the Republican and Conservative Party nominations and secured a line on the election ballot on Nov. 7.
Lecuona is an urban planner, educator and trained architect for 35-plus years. She is an immigrant, originally from the Canary Islands, Spain. Lecuona says that entering public service was a natural progression given her lifelong community involvement.
Key issues that caused Lecuona to run for mayor include a new comprehensive plan for White Plains that encompasses sustainable economic development in all of the city’s neighborhoods and provides the vision needed to flourish in this region. Good governance that includes transparency, accountability, and heavy community outreach. A sustainable plan that addresses equity issues, true affordable housing initiatives, a healthy environment plan, and a commitment to social justice.
One might think that having lost in the primary of the party she has belonged to for all of her political career, Lecuona might shrink back in defeat. Rather she says it has been an inspiring experience to work across party lines to hear the voices of all the people of White Plains and not just those of one particular party.
“I have been around the city, speaking with a broad spectrum of people and everywhere I go I hear that people want more transparency from city hall,” Lecuona said. “People are being kept out of the loop on what is going on.”
Lecuona cited the public process the city administration used in determining the scope of the city’s new Transit District as an example of a manipulated process that should have involved more open public meetings and concerned organizations such as the White Plains Business Improvement District (BID) as members of the select committee. “The information went only in one direction –from the city out to the people – not the other way around. That is the worst way to get input from the people,” she added.
Lecuona emphasized that she as a councilmember had not been aware that plans by New York State to bring Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) into White Plains were already in development. BRT never came up at the Transit District meetings, she explained. The people in the neighborhoods were never informed that BRT might be coming into their area.
Often critical of the way bike lanes have been introduced to White Plains, Lecuona accuses the current administration of giving millions of dollars to out-of-date projects or projects that don’t make sense, such as $1.5 million going to 1,100 feet of safe bike lane on Martine Avenue near the pubic library.
What Lecuona will bring to White Plains if elected is – at the top of the list – an updated Comprehensive Plan. All of the larger development projects that come before the Common Council will not be moved forward until the Comprehensive Plan is reviewed and updated.
Lecuona would also like to get the MTA to make some needed repairs to the train station including cleaning up the lobby and bathrooms and fixing the clock in the tower that has been broken for eight months.
As far as a new Transit District goes, Lecuona believes that decision should be put to a public referendum. And, the Battle Hill neighborhood, which Lecuona says has been ignored, she thinks would benefit from a bridge that links the neighborhood to the other side of the train tracks.
A big supporter of farmer’s markets, Lecuona would like to open the White Plains market on Sunday so families and residents of the city can partake of the offerings. “A Wednesday outdoor market does nothing for residents who work outside the city,” she said.
Lecuona has also spent time studying Mamaroneck Avenue and would like to see, developed over time, a plan to close off traffic to bring community activities to the downtown.
Regarding public policy, Lecuona believes in term limits of eight years imposed on all elected officials. “New people bring new energy,” she said.
As a trained volunteer firefighter Lecuona said that one thing she regrets in her time on the Common Council is voting to reduce retirees’ benefits and she would introduce bringing back 100 percent of the firefighters benefits, she said.
