Sandy Annabi Urges Food Donations For Senior Citizens

Commends “Wesley & Friends Food Pantry” For Supporting Local Senior Citizens With Monthly Food Service.

The Westchester News

914 237-8631 Newsroom

http://thewestchesternews.com

Yonkers, NY – City Council Majority Leader Sandy Annabi is announcing today, in conjunction with Harry’s Shoe Repair on North Broadway, the September 1, 2009 kick-off to the Wesley & Friends Food Pantry for Senior Citizens. Mr. Wesley will be holding a press conference on September 1, 2009 at noon in front of his store, at 11-A North Broadway.

The Wesley & Friends Food Pantry distributes food to senior citizens on the first Wednesday of the month. His store will be collecting for the cause.  The location of the first distribution, set to begin the following day on September 2, 2009 will be announced at the September 1st press conference.

Annabi says, “With the state of the economy, many of our local service groups are reporting higher usage of food pantries and soup kitchens. This is especially worrying, since August is typically when contributions drop to their lowest level, and demand is spiking beyond what is usual. The Food Stamp program is reporting about an 8 percent increase over 2008 numbers and a 30 percent spike for this past month, according to county statistics.”

“The effects of malnutrition and poor nutrition can be considerable. Symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, and increased risk to infection can quickly escalate to more serious ailments in our elder population. With the need jumping, and the donations dipping, it is vitally important to ensure our senior citizens have well-balanced diets to help ensure overall health so they can function at their best. Mr. Wesley and his team recognize this, and are stepping up to the plate. I encourage everyone to stop by and bring food donations!” Annabi concludes.

Contact:           SANDY ANNABI, MAJORITY LEADER

COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT 2

(914) 377-6312

The Westchester News

http://thewestchesternews.com

SANDY ANNABI, MAJORITY LEADER
COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT 2

Annabi Welcomes Book Bag Give-Away At The Andalusia School in Yonkers.

350 Book Bags To Be Given Away On August 29.

Yonkers City Council Majority Leader Sandy Annabi is pleased to announce a wonderful give-away sponsored by ICNA MAS-UNY. The 877-WHYISLAM Project (ICNA MAS-UNY) will be giving away back-to-school backpacks filled with supplies to the first 350 children on Saturday, August 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Andalusia School, located at 380 Walnut Street in Yonkers. The children must be present to receive the backpack.

“This kind gesture by the 877-WHYISLAM Project is very supportive of the community. I know that the excitement children can feel about returning to school is sometimes spoiled by the worry about obtaining school supplies. This event will help some of our parents better prepare their school children to start a fresh school year,” said Annabi.

Time:

Saturday, August 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location:

Andalusia School
380 Walnut Street
Yonkers, NY 10701
http://andalusiaschool.org/

Restrictions:

The book bags will be given to the first 350 Children.

The child must be present to receive his or her backpack.

Date: 16 JULY 2009

Annabi to File close to 2,000 signatures on Democratic Petitions

YONKERS, NY: The campaign to elect Sandy Annabi to County Legislator, District 17 is proud to announce a significant first milestone in the race for County Legislator for the 17th District. The Annabi campaign is filing today with the Westchester County Board of Elections close to four times the required amount of signatures (approximately 2,000) from registered Democratic voters. Annabi was able to obtain these signatures without the help of party bosses and political hacks.

Annabi, the current Majority Leader for the Yonkers City Council, called the large number of petitions “an overwhelming expression of support from the residents of the 17th legislative district. The people of southwest Yonkers have recognized my hard work on their behalf for the past 8 years. They approve of my work and want me to continue to be their fierce advocate, representing them in County government.”

Annabi thanks the residents and the campaign volunteers for their support. “I look forward to a spirited campaign and a victory in September,” concluded Annabi.

Petitions to be submitted at the Board of Elections at 12:30 pm today.

The Honorable Chuck Lesnick
City Council President
City Hall
Yonkers, New York 10701

The Honorable Sandy Annabi
Majority Leader/Education Chair
City Council Office
City Hall
Yonkers, New York 10701

The Honorable Liam McLaughlin
Minority Leader/Budget Co-Chair
City Council Office
City Hall
Yonkers, New York 10701

Dear Council President Lesnick, Councilmember Annabi, Councilmember McLaughlin:

As you know, the Trustees, my staff and I make every reasonable effort to accommodate the City Council’s requests for meetings. However, due to school district obligations, we are not
able to join you at tonight’s Joint Committee meeting. Throughout May and June, there are a myriad of school district events that require our attendance. In fact, in the past, you have attended tonight’s events – the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency presentation of $125,000 in scholarships to thirty District’s college-bound seniors scheduled for 4:30 p.m., and at 5:30 p.m. the annual Leadership in Education Award sponsored by the Rotary Club of East Yonkers honoring Ralph Vigliotti, principal of Yonkers High School, the #1 ranked
high school in Westchester. In addition, our counsel is involved in a PERB determination in Manhattan.

It is unclear why I received just over 24 hours notice for a Joint Committee meeting with an agenda that I believe the District has addressed in previous correspondence to you.

At meetings held over the past several months, and as long ago as last year, Inspector General Zisman has been advised that many of the services his office offers are being provided by an independent claims audit firm, an independent internal audit firm and an
independent external audit firm, all retained by the Board of Education in accordance with State mandates. In 2005, the New York State Education Department required all School
Boards in New York State to hire an independent internal auditor and claims auditor responsible directly to the Trustees. In addition, the New York State Comptroller’s Office and the consulting firm KPMG have recently completed financial audits of the Board of Education.

Notwithstanding this information, Mr. Zisman has repeatedly requested to come to the Board of Education and provide simultaneous audits, often in the same areas under review by the independent auditors. Mr. Zisman’s proposed audit of health insurance costs is precisely
such an example. The Board’s independent auditors already raised concerns about the health insurance costs. The Board has directed those auditors to conduct a thorough review
of the expenditures to determine whether any opportunities for savings or economies exist.

That audit is currently underway. The Board feels that a simultaneous audit by Mr. Zisman would be redundant and unproductive, and require the staff to undertake unnecessary repetitive tasks, a waste of the taxpayers’ dollars. The independent audit, when completed,
will be available as a public document, and Mr. Zisman, along with all other members of the public, may review the document at that time.

Since the Board of Education is already conducting the audit, the Board has asked Mr. Zisman to wait for the results before deciding what action he should take. In the meantime, Mr. Zisman continues to perform work for the Board’s Facilities and Purchasing
Departments, and the Superintendent has recently requested Mr. Zisman’s review of a personnel issue. Since the health insurance issue is being addressed and since Mr. Zisman is presently performing work for the Board, the Board is surprised and concerned about the surprisingly harsh statements and threats which have recently appeared.

In an effort to return some level of civility and professionalism to the current discussion, and despite the concerns noted above, I invited Mr. Zisman to participate in the health insurance costs audit with the independent auditors.

In an effort to present our position as fully as possible, I have arranged for our counsel and internal auditor to be present at our regularly scheduled Audit, Budget and Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 12th at 4:30 p.m. At that time, we will outline the
current audit of our payroll and benefit functions and explain the dynamic between state and city oversight of the Board of Education.

I hope that you will be able to attend this meeting which I believe will address any continuing issues on these matters. In addition, my staff and I are available to address your questions about the Board of Education’s legal position regarding the Inspector General 7:00 a.m. on May 11th, 12th, 15th, 18th 19th and 22nd, and on the following evenings May 8th, 15th and 22nd. Please advise if any of these dates and times are amenable.

Sincerely,
Bernard P. Pierorazio

CC: Rev. Gerald Sudick, President
and Members of the Board of Education
Joseph Bracchitta
Louis Constantino
Larry Thomas

We at The Yonkers Insider proudly endorse Yonkers City Council Majority Leader Sandy Annabi in her bid for Westchester County Legislator in the 17th District.

We believe that the County Board needs someone with the leadership of Sandy Annabi, she has a record of protecting the taxpayers, fighting against Wasteful Government Spending, Fighting for a safe environment for our children and our Seniors, being an advocate for Education and making sure that our taxes are the lowest that they can possibly be.

She has always put her constituents first. She has also fought for and been a loud voice on Government Reform.

Sandy Annabi is a leader and not a follower like the Current County Legislator in this seat and that is why we feel so strongly in regard to endorsing her candidacy for the 17th District.

In Sandy Annabi, what you see is what you get, she is a proven leader, We need more leaders like her on the Westchester County Board of Legislators.

We support her candidacy 1000%. There needs to be change in the 17th District, the current Legislator is part of the problem that we have in our County Government. We need Sandy Annabi and her proven leadership to become the next County Legislator of the 17th District.

Sandy Annabi for Westchester County Legislator in the 17th District: “The proven leader that we need, always putting the people first”

This is the sole opinion of The Yonkers Insider

The Yonkers Insider

Yonkers, NY: Monday, April 27, 2009 – City Council Education Chair and Council Majority Leader Sandy Annabi, (D, District 2) has come out in support of the Yonkers Inspector General’s attempt to audit the School District’s health insurance payments, as well as the unions’ trust and welfare funds.

She is also very disturbed by the action of the Board for passing a resolution opposing the Inspector General’s proposed investigation, calling it “obstructionist to open and transparent government.”

The School Board passed resolution 09-257C on January 21, 2009, approximately seven weeks after the Inspector General notified the Board that his office was going to conduct an audit of the schools district’s health insurance payments – which are currently in excess of $65 million per annum. The Yonkers Inspector General has even citied two existing reports (the D’Archangelo & Co. report on Risk Assessment analysis of 2007, and the KPMG audit report of District Operations of 2006) which indicated an audit of the health insurance payments would be necessary and appropriate.

“No one is denying that our School District is staffed with hard working professionals who are having an excellent effect on our students. Our schools are winning awards, our students are achieving. What is important is that the taxpayers demand accountability and transparency. In these troubled times, they need the assurance that all tax funded payments are made appropriately and that there are effective systems in place which do not allow for discrepancies, and I am expecting those very results,” Annabi said. Since January 2008, the Inspector General has issued several memo’s and had conversations with the Superintendent, and yet the Board saw fit to ignore the Inspector Generals’ repeated offers to quell their reservations by meeting with them, rather choosing to pass Resolution 09-257C, which the Inspector General holds to be procedurally defective, and passed in violation of Board policy (cited as 2410 – Formulation, Adoption, Amendment And Suspension Of Policies). Most importantly, the resolution is in direct conflict with the Inspector General’s authority set forth in the City Charter, which sets his jurisdiction as any person or entity which “receives money from or through the city or any agency of the city.”

Annabi continued, “The Board of Education’s attempt to unilaterally negate the Inspector General’s jurisdiction is unlawful and is indeed infuriating to anyone who believes in the fundamentals of good government. Not only are they ‘stonewalling,’ but they are opposing fair and just government action which is intended to be constructive and aide in the transparency and accountability of taxpayer-funded expenditures.”

“I fully support the Inspector General as the Council Majority Leader and as the Education Chair — this audit is to ensure the people of Yonkers that their tax dollars are safe and being used appropriately. Hopefully, he will not find any discrepancies, but provide another set of objective eyes and that should always be welcome when caring for tax dollars,” Annabi concluded.

Item for discussion:

1) Administration – G.O. amending Ch. 109 – Vehicles & Traffic, creating new zones where parking meters will be in force until 10.pm.

Please have the appropriate Commissioners/Department Heads/Directors or their representatives attend so they can address issues relating to their departments.

Thank you.

Sandy Annabi, Majority Leader
Legislation & Codes Chair

AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF YONKERS
SPECIAL MEETING
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2009

TIME: ______

PRESENT: PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
CHUCK LESNICK

DISTRICT

2 MAJORITY LEADER SANDY ANNABI

4 MINORITY LEADER LIAM J. McLAUGHLIN

COUNCIL MEMBERS:

DISTRICT:

1 PATRICIA D. McDOW

3 JOAN GRONOWSKI

5 JOHN M. MURTAGH

6 DEE BARBATO

I, THE UNDERSIGNED PRESIDENT OF THE CITY COUNCIL, PURSUANT TO
RULE 1 (2) OF THE CITY COUNCIL RULES, DO HEREBY CALL A SPECIAL MEETING
OF THE CITY COUNCIL, TO BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2009 IN THE
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, FOURTH FLOOR, CITY HALL, YONKERS, NEW YORK AT
5:45 P.M. FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSE:

TO DISCUSS AND TAKE ACTION ON:

1. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TRAFFIC-CONTROL SIGNAL
PHOTO-VIOLATION MONITORING (RED LIGHT CAMERAS)

2. ALL OTHER ITEMS PROPERLY COMING BEFORE THE COUNCIL.

CHUCK LESNICK
CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

YONKERS, NY – Majority Leader Sandy Annabi (D-2nd), chair of the Council’s Education Committee, and Council Member Joan Gronowski (D-3rd) are seeking to enforce Article V, § C5-1 of the Yonkers City Charter, which requires all fiscally dependent agencies to submit proposed budgets to the Mayor and the City Council’s Budget Committee by March first of each year. After seeking since last November for the Yonkers School District to submit a basic budget, the Yonkers City Council Majority Leader threatened this week to employ the Council’s subpoena power, in light of their defiance. She said this move is unfortunate but apparently necessary, given the lethargic, halfhearted response from the Yonkers School District.

Majority Leader Annabi stated that she initially requested the submission on November 6, 2008, with additional requests made on November 26 and January 16. Majority Leader Annabi acknowledged budget discussions, but asserted that the Council is not in receipt of a proposed budget from the Yonkers Schools District at this time. Hence, she contacted the district again on March 6 and March 16. The District provided what amounts to a non-response on March 11.

In her correspondence to the District Superintendent, dated March 6, Annabi states that the Council has not “received any sort of base, skeleton, preliminary, or draft Budget.” She further states, “While the District indeed faces the difficult task of waiting for State and Federal funding to be finalized, the Council still requires a baseline budget, with as many annotations and amendments as you and/or the Trustees deem necessary at a later time to ensure accurate updates.”

Majority Leader Annabi said, “As noted prominently in my all of my correspondence, the budget submission would have been gladly accepted as a ‘Draft’ – since the Charter does not require a finalized form. However, the District instead chose to make an empty promise that they would keep my office informed. On March 6, we placed the District on notice that schools have not complied with the deadline. This line of questioning has been a genuine effort to work in a cooperative manner with the District. It is just as much the Council’s responsibility as it is the Superintendent and Trustees’ to engage in responsible fiscal planning as early as possible, in order to avoid a financial disaster or crisis in the schools.”

Gronowski stated, “The City council should receive the final Board of Education proposed budget in a timely fashion, not on the eve of their budget hearings with the City Council as occurred last year”. Gronowski further reiterated her request that the final Budget submitted by the School District should be in a similar style and format as that submitted by the Administration, as she requested of Superintendent Pierorazio during last year’s hearings. The Board’s budget contained no narrative descriptions for any agency, which would identify the purpose and function, and no way of knowing what projects or audits they undertake or specifically, what the district can reference as to reports or analyses utilized to make decisions during a budget year. Gronowski also suggested that the Board’s budget contain a school-by-school breakdown.

The Council Members are adamant that a timely detailed budget is crucial during this sensitive fiscal time. The second quarter projections currently show a $58 million municipal deficit and a $50 million Education deficit. The revenue projections for the second quarter prompted the Majority Leader to state, “Revenue projections are down on the Municipal side, and all revenue streams are dramatically down from first quarter projections. The City is not receiving the influx from sales, real estate transfer, mortgage and income taxes it had before. The mortgage recording tax alone is projected to cause a $5.5 million shortfall by the end of the fiscal year. The entire City government is working diligently to monitor our budget, manage our shortfalls and seek extra revenue – we certainly don’t need a fiscally dependent agency bucking our efforts. It’s counter productive!”

“I think the entire council appreciates the School District’s dilemma – they are financially dependent on the City and the State and rely heavily on State and Federal grant funding. But they are not being responsive to the elected officials who are fighting for them. This lack of information is making it even more difficult to hit a moving target. Since the School district has fallen silent on the request, I now find it necessary to give serious consideration to using the Council’s subpoena power. I’m sure my colleagues on the Council will agree,” concluded Annabi.

For Immediate Release…

DATE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2008

MAJORITY LEADER ANNABI CALLS ON MAYOR TO RESCIND MANAGEMENT RAISES TO THE TUNE OF $2 MILLION; SEEKS RESTORATION OF SCHOOL SAFETY OFFICERS

Monday December 8, 2008, Yonkers, NY…The Majority Leader of the Yonkers City Council, Sandy Annabi (Dem- Dist. 2) is seeking to have the Administration rescind all raises to management in order to realize immediate savings and to contribute to the avoidance of cuts, as well as to avoid the removal of School Safety Officers from school buildings. The proposal could potentially save the City of Yonkers over $2 million.

Said the Majority Leader, “I am calling on the Mayor to rescind all management raises as of December 15, 2008. The approximately $2 million in savings could go to stave off major Police redeployment and reassignment – this could open a window to reinstitute the Police Officers back into schools and to our most vulnerable neighborhoods.”

The Majority Leader, who also chairs the Council’s Committee on Education, went on to say, “With the removal of safety officers from the Schools, I believe we are now endangering the safety of students, their teachers, and all of our school staff. The Mayor should look for more viable efficiencies that do not risk the education and well being of our students.”

“Even in the schools with low incidence frequencies, the removal of School Safety Officers greatly affects the stable environment needed for children to learn and the peace of mind of those entrusted with their care. Our students can’t concentrate, our teachers can’t concentrate. I am calling upon the Mayor to make all efforts to restore the Police to our schools, and to rescind all raises from December 15, 2008,” continued Annabi.

“It is painfully obvious that the entire Country faces massive financial problems, and municipalities must be extremely frugal with the limited public funds available. At such a crucial time as this, I hope that the example set by many other municipalities across the nation would encourage the City Administration and the School Administration – to hold off on non-contractual raises until we are on stable financial footing.”

“The County government just publicly recognized how fool hardy it would be to hemorrhage raisemoney at this time – the County proposal for management raises was just retracted. A Yorktown highway supervisor recently made headlines because he turned down a $25,000 raise in order to benefit his City. That’s the kind of courage we need right now. It comes through loud and clear that Yonkers should follow suit and partake of the fiscal conservancy that will see us through this difficult time. The time to consider raises is once the City is on stable footing,” concluded Annabi.

For Immediate Release… CONTACT:DATE: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 COUNCIL MEMBER SANDY ANNABI

Council Member Sandy Annabi (D-2) is focusing on a multiyear Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) where a forecast of capital improvements would extend out to a three to five year plan. Currently the City of Yonkers covers only a one year plan for capital improvements.

A CIP focuses on preserving a governmental entity’s infrastructure while ensuring the efficient use of public funds and an opportunity to foster cooperation among departments, and an ability to inform other units of government of the entity’s priorities. A CIP typically includes a listing of the capital projects or equipment to be purchased, the projects ranked in order of preference, the plan for financing the projects, a timetable for the construction or completion of the project and justification for the project.

Annabi said, “A CIP should be a multi-year plan covering at least three if not five years that forecasts spending for all anticipated capital projects. By providing a multi-year Capital Improvement Plan, the cost estimates and the location of public sector improvements provide private sector decision makers with valuable information on which to base investment decisions.” Annabi continued, “A multi-year CIP provides local elected officials and the public with valuable information concerning proposed public facilities and their associated costs, and ultimately, this coordination of orderly efficient programs of private and public investment will benefit the City.”

A local government needs to forecast where it believes it will face future demands and growth, which will involve an inventory of existing facilities, infrastructure and equipment. A multi-year CIP is an important element of responsible fiscal management. It is an important planning document because it helps implement recommendations of the City’s master plan, provides guidance to City elected officials and staff in preparing budgets and doing long-range financial planning. It should include every project that the City is engaged in, its funding source, funding amounts, and the level of activity anticipated over a five year period

“Currently and historically, the City Council has received a yearly CIP exposing us to only part of the picture. This elected body needs to see the entire picture, not receive information piece meal. The City Council, the body adopting the budget, must make important spending decisions and we are not able to do so unless we have all the information. The City Council should be given a rolling plan where projects are outlined, what the total cost is from the first year until completion so that we as a body can plan accordingly and look for a revenue stream to offset the cost to the taxpayers.” I am calling upon the Mayor and the Finance officer to work towards this 5 year plan for future years.

Most successful corporations implement a multi-year focus. The City of Yonkers often refers to itself as a corporation, and in that sense, a multi year CIP will avoid wasting resources and help to incorporate citizen concerns, anticipate linkages with other projects or activities and highlight cases of insufficient funding, and will help to ensure financial stability by anticipating the fiscal resources that are necessary to pay for capital projects.

For Immediate Release…    

DATE: Thursday, May 24, 2007.

EDUCATION CHAIR ANNABI & COUNCILMAN ROBERSTON WANT ANSWERS ABOUT PLUMMETING SCORES.

Education Chair Sandy Annabi – (D –Dist2) and Councilman Dennis Robertson (D-Dist 3) are calling on the Administration and the Board of Education for answers! Annabi and Robertson are concerned about the plummeting test scores and lack of progress our students are making and are insisting on a re-evaluation of the system in order help our students excel.

“Year after year, the City Council continues to allocate more and more funds to the Board of Education with the hope of providing each child with a quality education, yet our children keep failing, while other districts are blooming. The Board of Education must re-evaluate their strategies and implement a plan that will propel our students forward,” declared Annabi. Recent data released on the latest New York State’s Standardized English tests show a drop in test scores for the City of Yonkers.  There has been a 4.4 percent drop from the year before. In some Yonkers schools, the decline was alarmingly in the double digits! In the other largest school systems in New York State, test scores rose or stayed the same.

“These lower test scores and statistics cannot be ignored.  Scores statewide rose while we declined – it is unconscionable to allow this situation to continue”, Annabi stressed.  Parents and citizens are concerned about the lack of achievement and want answers as to why our children are not graduating on time and not performing as well as other cities. We must identify our weaknesses and devise a plan that will allow our children to excel.

This year the Board of Education faces a 6.4 million dollar gap, only strengthening our argument for much needed aid so as to provide our students with the proper tools and staff needed to help them move forward.

“It is obvious that under this Mayor’s watch, the school system is headed in the wrong direction,” stated Democratic Mayoral Candidate Dennis Robertson. Added Robertson, “this is a very disturbing trend especially when you consider that over the past three years, we’ve increased funds to our schools over $100 million dollars.”
 

The Yonkers Insider did an interview this afternoon with 2nd District Councilwomen Sandy Annabi. She is a compelling elected official, who has put the people of her community and the constituents of the 2nd Council District, first. She should be applauded for that stance. The Yonkers Insider respects the way Councilwomen Annabi has also had Town Hall Meetings, to better know what she needs to get done on the Council floor. She is the Education Chair of the Education Committee of The Yonkers City Council. She was elected in 2001. The Yonkers Insider also hears from people that Councilwomen Annabi is a fighter for our Seniors and that is an area, where The Yonkers Insider believes that our Seniors should enjoy their golden years and we should give back to back to them as to what they have done to make our society better.

When Annabi talks, you could see that she cares a lot about this City and wants this City to the best that it can be. She will work with both sides of the political aisle to ensure that our City does come first and she should be applauded for that. Annabi cares about our youth as well. One of her core issues is pushing very hard for a City Wide Curfew. She feels that this is a great way to really keep our kids safe. Annabi brought out that there have been a lot of crime in SW Yonkers in terms of Shootings and Stabbings. That is why, She feels that a curfew is a great way to go. Annabi wants to work with The Yonkers Police on this most important issue. Annabi told The Yonkers Insider that about 534 cities in the United States have a curfew and she thinks that a curfew would be a good idea for Yonkers and she hoped to have a majority of support for this legislation.

Annabi looks forward to the Economic Development project coming to Downtown Yonkers. The Streuver-Fidelico-Cappelli project, Annabi sees great hope, but she also feels that The Yonkers City Council must also do it’s due diligence of looking at this project for the good of this City. Annabi feels that Economic Development Project will equal Jobs and Tax Revenue for our City and it will also build a Tax Base for the future in the years to come.

Education is also a top priority to Annabi. She is the head of the Education Committee. The Yonkers City Council will go up to Albany with the Mayor as a unified unit to make sure that the State fully funds Yonkers Schools. Yonkers also needs money for School Capital Projects for Schools that need repair. The City it would appear is going to have a 10 Million Dollar shortfall in our education budget, that is why Yonkers needs to get it’s fair share from Albany. The Yonkers Insider feels it is great the Mayor and City Council are unified on this most important issue. The Yonkers Insider also believes that any new monies should be used for the classrooms only, that is where they are truly needed. Annabi would also like to see a way in the budget to restore all the Art and Music Programs, also restore Security Guard and Psychologists as well. The Yonkers Insider believes that our children are worth fighting for.

In closing, Councilwomen Annabi is a credit as an elected official. The Yonkers Insider also applauds the great work of her aide – Debbie Kayal as well. We need more elected officials who care like Sandy Annabi.

The Yonkers Insider

Also, please contact my office via email at sandy.annabi@cityofyonkers.com or by phone to be included as an honoree if your profession is in Education, Medicine or Law as soon as possible.  Please RSVP with my office at 914-377-6312 at your earliest convenience.  

I look forward to seeing you.  As always, thank you for allowing me to represent you on the Yonkers City Council. It has been a pleasure working for you and with you in advocating for the great people of Yonkers ! 

Sincerely,

Sandy Annabi

Council Member, District 2

Read Announcement of Event.

For Immediate Release:

DATE: Friday, January 19, 2007 COUNCIL MEMBER SANDY ANNABI - 2ND DISTRICT.

ANNABI EXPOSES THE VINDICTIVE WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION BY THE ADMINISTRATION

Council Member Annabi exposes the administration for their lack of cooperation and communication with City Council Members in their efforts to get information. Annabi said, Once again the Mayor’s office has blocked our efforts in trying to obtain public information from their office. 

Mayor Amicone’s Chief of Staff, Lisa Mrijaj has made her ill intentions known by advising the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to withhold public information from the Council. Annabi said. A request was made by my office to obtain a copy of a list of Yonkers’ City owned properties but clearly, unless you are a political ally of this administration, you are not privy to any information and information is deliberately withheld Annabi continued, This is a perfect example of how government should not be operating.

In a request made by Council Member Annabi’s office to obtain public information a response from the Chief of Staff to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor in an email advised, I would not give it to her especially unless we know why she wants it. She has not done anything to help us. Annabi said. This is proof that unless you are in a position to help the Mayor, you are not going to get the cooperation or services needed of his office and staff. Furthermore, department heads are instructed not to communicate or provide vital information to the Council unless the requests are made through the Mayor’s office.

As a result of the chief of staff’s decision, my office must now resort to obtaining public information through the Freedom of Information Law. In addition, Annabi is requesting the Chief of Staff, Lisa Mrijaj, to explain her statement to the people of Yonkers.