In impassioned remaks today, County Executive Andy Spano called on the Board of Legislators to reject racism and to approve a proposed settlement of a lawsuit that will require the county build up to 750 units of fair and affordable housing and market the units to blacks and Hispanics.
“This is the most important vote any legislative body has had to take in the history of Westchester County,” Spano said, speaking in a rare appearance to a committee of the legislators. “…Do not make us the symbol of racism.”
One by one, Spano ticked off the supposed objections to the housing, and one by one he responded:
The number of units is high. In reality, said Spano, the 750 units are far lower than the present county allocation to these areas to meet the need in the county for fair and affordable housing, a need that Republicans and Democrats have long agreed upon. Before the settlement, local communities in the affected areas were collectively allocated 7,684 housing units, but to date have only built a small fraction of them.
The amount of money being spent is too much. In reality, said Spano, the county with or without the lawsuit would continue to spend money to build affordable housing. To date, the county has spent or allocated $90 million. With or without the lawsuit, Spano said he would have been returning to the legislators for approval to continue the effort, which Republicans and Democrats have always approved.
Affordable housing brings down the neighborhood. In fact, said Spano, this is a fear that has never turned out to be true. “Never has there been a decrease in property values in what we have built,” he said, adding that the middle-class homes will fit into the character of a neighborhood and will be sold or rented to working, tax-paying people who will pay rent or a mortgage.
“Obviously the money isn’t the issue and it’s not the type of housing,” Spano said. “…The difference is this is about African Americans and Hispanics.”
To back up his assessment, Spano read to the legislators samples of some of the emails and phone calls that have been made to his office since the settlement was announced last week.
A Scarsdale man said, “I just want you to know that my 18-year-old daughter and her friends are so happy. Now they’ll have little black boys to play with.”
Another woman said, “These people can come into the villages and enjoy shopping. I don’t understand why they actually have to live in the villages.”
Spano called on the legislators to reject these racist attitudes, reminding them that he and they came from groups that at various times have been excluded from living where they choose.
“Italian-Americans at the turn of the century and long after couldn’t live in certain areas,” he said, asking rhetorically how would he or the legislators have voted if that kind of restriction had come before them.
Continuing rhetorically, he asked:
How would Legislators Martin Rogowsky and Michael Kaplowitz, both Jewish, have voted if a proposal came before them to keep restrictive covenants that barred Jews from living in Bronxville or faced so-called “Gentleman’s Agreements” in other areas?
How would Legislator Thomas Abinanti, the parent of a child with autism, vote if proposals came before him to limit group homes for people with disabilities, the kind of group homes that some adults with autism might choose to live in?
“I’m here to ask you to do the right thing,” Spano said.
Septic Reimbursement 
