Democratic voters are lucky to have Kisha D. Skipper and Anthony Nicodemo to choose from in the upcoming Democratic primary election for the District 15 county legislature.
In a recent candidate forum, both candidates were well prepared, demonstrated a command of the facts, and candidly and respectfully articulated their positions. They were polite but at the same time passionate about why they are running. In this era of smack-down politics, their performance stood in stark contrast to the rancor and animosity that has turned off so many people. I encourage those of you who want to know more about where these candidates stand to view the June 2 League of Women Voters forum.
Early voting in the primary begins tomorrow, Saturday, June 13, and ends with Election Day on June 23. The candidates are running for the opportunity to challenge the incumbent – Republican James Nolan, one of the few Republicans holding elected office in our heavily blue area.
Expected Low Turnout – the Few Decide for the Many
Each legislative district for the Westchester County Board of Legislators has a population of approximately 59,000, with an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 registered voters. In District 15, approximately 50% of the voters are registered Democrats with Republicans and unaffiliated independent voters making up the other 50%. Approximately 85% of the voters live in Yonkers, 10% Eastchester and 5% Bronxville.
Skipper and Nicodemo acknowledge that the turnout in this off-year election will be very low. Only a fraction of the estimated 15,000 – 20,000 Democrats are likely to vote. They both have said that the winner will need to receive between 1,500 and 3,000 votes to win. Get-out-the-vote operations are obviously crucial.
Who They Are, What They’ve Done
Anthony Nicodemo
- Special Education teacher Greenburgh-North Castle School District – President of the Greenburgh-North Castle teachers union. Election Director NY State United Teachers (NYSUT)
- Longtime basketball coach including 10 years at Saunders HS.
- Public advocate on LGBTQ+ issues.
- Fifth Vice President Yonkers Democratic Party; Vice Chair Westchester County Democrats
Kisha D. Skipper
- President of the Yonkers National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
- More than 25 years of procurement and administrative experience.
- Former aide to Yonkers City Council Member.
- Former election technician with the Westchester County Board of Elections.
- Member Groundwork Hudson Valley environmental taskforce on flooding and air quality.
- Record of community organizing around housing, healthcare, voting rights, environmental justice, and neighborhood issues.
The Interviews
I interviewed both candidates this week, and although they generally agree on policy issues, there are differences.
Most striking was their take on the role of the Yonkers Democratic Party in local politics. Their views shed interesting light on next year’s race for Yonkers mayor. The primary results in this and two other contested Democratic primary races may predict whether Yonkers voters will support another City Council override of the term limit law to allow Mayor Mike Spano to run for a Fifth term, or whether the voters are ready for new leadership in city hall.
I discussed the same six issues with the candidates. Here’s what they said (I’m taking the liberty of referring to them by first name):
What distinguishes you and your candidacy from your opponent?
Anthony says that he and Kisha agree on the majority of the important issues. He believes, however, that what sets him apart is the broad political organization he has built which is required to flip the seat from Republican to Democrat.
He notes that he has the support of important government officials, including County Executive Ken Jenkins and NY State Senator Shelly Mayer, as well as the support of the Yonkers, Eastchester and Bronxville Democratic Committees. He also has the support of the powerful state teachers’ union, which represents 700,000 teachers. He is convinced that this coalition makes him the stronger candidate.
Although he is endorsed by the Yonkers Democratic Party, he doesn’t consider himself to be an establishment candidate. He calls himself a progressive who has garnered the support of a majority of the active Democratic party members in the district.
Kisha asserts her position as the true progressive in the race, emphasizing that she is the only lifelong Democrat. She points out that her opponent switched his registration from Republican to Democrat only after Donald Trump was first elected in 2016. By contrast, she says she has 35 years of working for Democratic candidates in dozens of elections.
In addition, she believes progressive voters support her because of her deep commitment to civil and human rights and work on local environmental and health issues.
She also says that, if elected, she will work full-time as the District 15 county legislator. She questions whether her opponent will work as hard, given his considerable responsibilities working as a teacher, coach and union president. She doesn’t believe Anthony will have the time and availability to be an effective legislator because he will be stretched too thin.
What Made You Run?
Last year Kisha says she had an epiphany when she met a homeless woman in the lobby of the Bronxville Citibank. She asked the woman, “Can I help you?” The woman replied, “I’m OK.” Kisha then called the police who told her they were aware of the situation, but there was nothing they could do. At that moment Kisha realized that there was something she could do, and she decided to run for office to work on the housing crisis, public transportation, mental health and homelessness prevention. According to Kisha, if there was homelessness in Bronxville it’s a problem that needs county government solutions.
Anthony received national attention when he came out as a gay in 2013, becoming one of the very few openly gay male, high school basketball coaches in the country. This gave him a new voice, which led him down a path of advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and eventually to take on leadership roles as a teacher and union president.
As a coach, he understands making decisions under pressure and overcoming adversity. He believes the discipline and preparation of coaching, and the human side of working with and motivating young people, are a skill set that will make him an effective legislator. He believes he has grown into the role of politician. He wants to be in the room when elected officials make decisions that affect peoples’ lives.
Identify Two Policy Priorities
Anthony cited maintaining the social safety net for families and children in the face of federal government cuts. He worries about school students having enough to eat and about the mental health impact of economic adversity. He believes the government can be a force for good. He favors increased taxes on the rich to ensure the social safety net remains intact, although he recognizes that the county board does not have the authority to impose such taxes.
He also believes that the county must continue to support flood mitigation throughout the district. He believes that if budgets are tight, the county should conduct comprehensive departmental audits to minimize wasteful spending.
Kisha’s two top policy issues will be addressing affordable housing and transportation. She says that the county must continue to provide financial support to Westchester municipality affordable housing initiatives. She goes one step further, saying that the county should engage in the development process to ensure that the funds are being spent appropriately. In particular, she wants to ensure that developers fulfill their promises for community benefits for the residents who live near new development projects.
She also believes that the B-Line buses are essential for working-class people. She wants increased county oversight of the bus system to ensure that the routes are adequately serving the ridership. She also believes that there needs to be increased oversight of the paratransit system that serves seniors and people with disabilities, because the private contractors who run the system have not always provided reliable service.
How Will You Run Constituent Services?
For six years, Kisha worked as a legislative aide to former Yonkers City Council Member Chris Johnson. She was primarily responsible for the office’s constituent services. She believes helping people solve government-related problems is central to the role of any legislator. In addition to handling individual inquiries from the public, she will personally conduct community outreach to learn about how the county government can provide assistance. Kisha said a key to effective constituent service is listening and being accessible.
With respect to constituent services, Anthony said the key ingredients are being accessible and having a staff with multiple talents to best interact with the district’s diverse population. He is considering creating advisory boards on the important community issues so he can hear directly from people who need government assistance.
How Will You Run Against James Nolan?
Both candidates described Nolan as a Trump/MAGA supporter who engages in negative commentary on social media platforms that misinforms and divides people. They believe that Nolan does not reflect the views of most district residents.
The Party: What It Means, Do You Support Political Hardball, and What About Spano?
Anthony believes his involvement with the Yonkers Democratic party provides him with contacts with Democratic elected officials and the party’s organization that supports his candidacy. He embraces the Party’s endorsement.
He is a strong supporter of Mayor Spano and has worked with him on the LGBTQ+ advisory board. Anthony would support the Mayor if he ran for a Fifth term; however, he believes that voters should decide whether term limits should be imposed and not the City Council. Still, if the Council did overturn the term limit law, he would support the Mayor if he decided to run.
With respect to the firing of Leslye Oquendo-Thomas, he doesn’t believe people should be punished for engaging in the democratic process. However, he says that some jobs are political appointments where elected officials have the right to make changes for political reasons. He didn’t know all the facts about the Oquendo-Thomas dismissal, but acknowledges the optics aren’t good. Although he is generally aligned with positions taken by the Yonkers Democratic Party, he is not afraid to break rank with the party, when he disagrees with their positions.
Kisha believes that the Yonkers Democratic Committee was heavy handed when it steered its endorsement to her opponent in the race. She doesn’t believe her candidacy was given a fair hearing. She believes that the decision was anti-democratic. She says the firing of Leslye Oquendo-Thomas from her position as City Council legislative aide was similarly anti-democratic.
She says that the City Council should not suspend the term limit provisions for a third time to allow for the Mayor to run for a fifth term. She will not support the Mayor, if he decides to run again.
Disclaimer: Kisha Skipper was formerly affiliated with The Yonkers Ledger, but has had no ties to the paper since 2023.
