Like Girardi, Grace is Under Fire in Yorktown for Making Wrong Moves
Endorsement: Ilan Gilbert for Supervisor, Councilman Vishnu Patel and Alice Roker for Town Board
There are many similarities that can be made between former New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi and Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace.
Both men managed to accomplish a lot in their respective roles. In 10 years, Girardi never had a losing season, won the World Series in 2009 and took a young team this year to one game of making another fall classic.
In his six years in office, Grace has put Yorktown in a solid financial position, attracted visitors to town with a variety of community events and tried to jumpstart the local economy with an open-door development policy.
However, both men also have their flaws, which made them vulnerable. Girardi was apparently unable to relate to younger players, had a quirky personality and had a quick hook with pitchers. Attributes which led to him not being offered another contract.
Grace has had a tendency to turn a deaf ear to residents and informed critics, made it a habit to approve resolutions at untelevised work sessions and sees nothing wrong with taking a six-figure salary for a full-time supervisor position while also working as a full-time land use attorney, although he refers to running the town as “a 24/7 vocation.”
The Yankees have decided to go in a new direction next season, and voters in Yorktown should consider the same when they go to the polls on November 7.
Since gaining a 4-1 Republican majority two years ago, Grace has governed with an iron hand and lost sight of what his role should be—listening to resident’s concerns and acting appropriately. Instead, knowing he has the votes to carry out anything on his personal agenda, Grace often mocks people and caters to a specific audience.
This year’s election has brought out the worst in Grace. First, he and his slate pledged to play fair and stick to the issues. Then he writes an Op-Ed piece ripping former Town Clerk Alice Roker and his Democratic opponent Ilan Gilbert for playing dirty and “besmirching” his character. And then last week, residents received a startling campaign mailer that depicted former supervisor Susan Siegel as a puppeteer with Gilbert, Roker and Councilman Vishnu Patel dangling from strings. The card, paid for by the New York Republican State Committee on behalf of the GOP slate, declared, “Say No to the Frightful Four! Gilbert, Roker and Patel all support making Yorktown a sanctuary town. That means making Yorktown a safe haven for illegal immigrants causing your taxes to go up!”
Politics, and fear-mongering, at its worst, and totally uncalled for in a town like Yorktown where illegal immigrants are not an issue, and never have been.
Every high-profile leader has a shelf life. Girardi found that out last week. Voters should consider a similar fate for Grace.
By all accounts, Gilbert, a former town justice, would be a fair, even-minded leader. He has vowed to strengthen environmental protections that Grace weakened and promote the town to suitable businesses. He wouldn’t stop any progress in its tracks.
To be effective, it would best suit Gilbert to start with a majority board. Without a doubt, Councilman Vishnu Patel, who is the prototype for what a public servant should be, deserves a third term. He has done his best to keep Grace and the board on their toes as the lone Democrat for the last two years in his own unique style. Meanwhile, Roker knows the ins and outs of how government works having been the town clerk for 25 years. She should be able to contribute quickly and guide Gilbert until he fully learns the ropes.
Councilman Greg Bernard has served a total of 10 years, including a stint in the 1990s, and has basically supported all of Grace’s initiatives. Newcomer Robert Puff shows promise but is up against three other candidates with much more experience and know-how.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/