Our Mission
We will improve policy approach and make a more efficient government that is sustainable.
My paramount concerns are:
1) We will improve our government by believing again in the democratic process. We must call for a democratically elected school district. The residents of this district must be allowed to vote and be part of the process. When we elect our school board leaders they will be accountable to us.
2) Roads and infrastructure are currently under construction and poised for progress. We need to work together to agree on development that is smart for Yonkers’ long term plans. Many people in Yonkers want to get back to work. Let’s get them doing that with preventative maintenance that will save us from the cost of crisis care.
3) Education is the key to providing a skilled, civically minded and entrepenuerial labor force that wants to live and work in Yonkers.
How do we do that?
By offering students options for after school activities like study groups and/or mentorships we will involve our students in not just the process but give them ownership over the product. We will civically engage them by partnering them with local groups like Americorps, Ground Works, Habitat for Humanity, and others who offer an alternative avenue for students who may not be ready to go to college, but still want to help their community.
This year I created an after school group that focuses on “Tackling Environmental Issues,” where I exposed students to important environmental policies directly affecting Yonkers.
My students have written letters to food services, the Office of the Yonkers City Council President and the Yonkers Green Policy Task Force. The students have advocated for important measures that will help shape the future of Yonkers. My students have had their request from Food Services met and they continue to meet with representatives to discuss further improvements that could be made. We have partnered with AmeriCorps and Ground Works to improve our garden and we are planting the seeds for their future.
Family
My family is deeply rooted in public service. My father is currently a doctor (pulmonologist) at West Point and my mother is a Nurse Case Manager in the Veteran’s Administration in New York City. I have struggled with smoking for most of my life, as I know many residents in Yonkers do. I want to create support groups and call for the residents of Yonkers to support each other in this struggle. Drug counselors will be available as well as social workers to support these groups.
My grandfather and great uncle started IBEW Local 363 in Rockland County, after serving in World War II. My grandparents met while they were serving in Burma, India, and China. My grandmother out ranked my grandfather. She served as a nurse in a MASH unit. Later, my grandfather James Damiani became the Assistant Commissioner of Labor under Governor Mario Cuomo. The census data shows we have an aging population in Yonkers. I spoke with someone the other day who said his father was going to have to leave Yonkers because the assisted living situations were not ideal and did not provide him transport to activities. This has to be improved. We need to encourage our seniors to be more civically engaged. They are a resource and if we do not appreciate them we will lose them.
I currently live on Tuckahoe Road with one roommate and my dog, Brutus.
Get involved now by donating $25, that would help buy a lot of stamps.
