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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2009. By John F. Bailey. June 10, 2009UPDATED June 13, 2009: Glen Hockley, the Common Councilman and politician who owed his political career to Adam Bradley’s legal expertise, today declared his candidacy for Mayor of White Plains on the steps of City Hall, intending to oppose Mr. Bradley in the November election.
Hockley said of the outgoing Mayor of White Plains, (whom he called “the greatest and most accomplished Mayor in the history of our great city”), Joseph Delfino, “he is behind me (for Mayor) 100%.”
Hockley said he intends to run as an Independent, having registered as a candidate at the Board of Elections Wednesday morning. He said he is hopeful of receiving the Working Families Party endorsement and line. That party, he said has not decided on whom it will support. Bradley has the Democrat and Republican lines.
On Saturday, June 13, The White Plains Times reported Joe Fahey, head of the Working Families Party has decided his party will endorse Adam Bradley for Mayor, denying Hockley the labor endorsement he sought.
Surrounded by leaders of the city’s police, fire and CSEA unions whom he claimed were supporting his candidacy against Bradley, Mr. Hockley took Bradley to task for failing to come to the city’s aid by denying an additional ¼% sales tax, and declared his would be a revenue approach to government that would not raise property taxes, as the present Common Council has chosen to do. He told WPCNR he would not support a commuter tax for workers in the city who do not live in White Plains.
After recognizing the various union representatives who had turned out, Hockley said “I am here for you as a public servant.”
Hockley said that a telephone survey of voters on their preferences for Mayor which Hockley observed the results were so good, “I haven’t been this excited since the day when his son Max was born and the day he met his wife, Melody, who were on the steps of City Hall with him.
Afterwards the announcement, Duncan McRae, familiar with the results of the pair told WPCNR the poll showed Hockley to be “much closer” to Mr. Bradley according to the poll results than he (Hockley) had anticipated.
Hockley Plays News 12
Hockley said Mayor Delfino’s accomplishments which he ticked off for the audience, “leaves tremendous shoes to fill.”
Hockley asked rhetorically “Do we want to reinvent the wheel? I think not. Don’t mess with success.”
He said White Plains needs an independent Mayor who will work for the benefit of the citizens, and not be beholden to “political hacks, political hopefuls and ideologies.”
Hockley told how the Democratic party in the city refused to nominate him for Common Council for reelection because of his votes with Mayor Delfino on issues and chided Mr. Bradley for receiving the Republican endorsement for Mayor – “Who’s the Republicrat, now, Mr. Bradley?” (bringing whoops and claps from the crowd).
He said White Plains needs a reformer – “who doesn’t answer to an organization but to you (the public).”
“The days of partisan politics are over,” Hockley said, promising his number 1 priority was to “take the property tax burden off the citizens and Number 2, seeking revenues and retaining city services. The bottom line is to get the job done.”
He critisized his opponent Adam Bradley (and the Common Council) for refusing to carry a request for an additional ¼% sales tax to the legislature, which he said has caused the layoff of 80 city workers.
He accused Mr. Bradley of weighing political considerations above interests of the citizens, and being in consort with Bill Ryan, the County Legislator, telling how in Democratic caucauses, when Mr. Hockley would suggest policies, Hockley said, Ryan was always asking, “what’s the political considerations?” and Bradley would go along with Ryan’s suggestions, Hockley said.
He accused Bradley of influencing the Council to reject revenue enhancing measures suggested by the Mayor – the leasing of the Galleria and Library garages for an immediate revenue enhancement — that Hockley said would have wiped out the $12 Million deficit the city faces and funded labor settlements.
He blamed Democrat City Committee politics and Bradley indirectly for the Common Council decision “to blow a great opportunity – the Cappelli-suggested Station Plaza project in 2007 – that he said could be being constructed now.
Hockley promised to create jobs, build infrastructure, keep property taxes down, but did mention how other than building revenues.
After the news conference, WPCNR asked Hockley if he knew that there were not actually 80 persons scheduled to be let go July 1, that other than 9 full-time CSEA workers, the other 69 were positions budgeted for but presently unfilled. Hockley said he would check into that. It is impossible to tell how many live bodies are being let go by the city because City Hall has been tardy in supplying a list of the positions presently filled that are being fired as of July 1, and what positions are budgeted, but not filled now. Hockley said he would check into that.
WPCNR asked if Mayor Delfino was going to support Mr. Hockley’s campaign financially (the mayor having a large political war chest). Hockley said he had not asked Delfino for financial support.
Duncan MacRae (left) of the White Plains Labor Coalition told WPCNR that about 1,000 union members across all four city unions lived in White Plains and would be working hard to get the vote out for Mr. Hockley.
There is irony in Mr. Hockley challenging Mr.Bradley.
In 2001 when Mr. Hockley ran for Common Council and a voting machine jammed in District 18, costing then incumbent Councilman Larry Delgado about 120 votes which would have given Mr. Delgado victory, Adam Bradley defended Mr. Hockley’s right to be seated on the Common Council all the way up to the State Court of Appeals.
Judge Francis Nicolai of Supreme Court, the Ninth District ruled that there should be a new election. Bradley made the case that present election law did not allow the courts to rule on elections. The Appellate Court in Brooklyn ruled against Mr. Bradley and Mr. Hockley, but Mr. Bradley took it to the state’s highest court and prevailed. The Court of Appeals ruled Judge Nicolai did not have authority to order a new election, and Hockley was allowed to be seated.
Glen Hockley and Adam Bradley in March, 2002 on morning of Mr. Hockley’s being seated on the Common Council. WPCNR News Archive.
Mr. Hockley was seated on the Council in March of 2002. Mr. Delgado subsequently brought a quo warranto action through then attorney general Eliot Spitzer’s office, resulting in Mr. Spitzer’s office decreeing that Mr. Delgado had won the election (based on Affidavits from voters who voted in the18th district, supplied by the Delgado camp). Mr. Delgado was seated on the council completed about 15 months remaining in his term, and chose not to run in 2005, when Mr. Hockley was renominated for the council and won reelection handily.
