Longest Serving Yonkers Mayor Angelo Martinelli Dies at 91

Angelo Martinelli, one of Yonkers most beloved and its longest serving mayor, died on October 27 at age 91.

“We have lost a great man, a selfless public servant and a beloved father and grandfather,” said Yonkers current Mayor Mike Spano.  “Mayor Martinelli is synonymous with Yonkers in every way and his contributions to our city, like his legacy, will live on forever.”

Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester, said that Martinelli was a believer in great possibilities for his city and worked tirelessly to revitalize downtown Yonkers.

“Angelo started the ball rolling on the economic boom we see going on today in Yonkers,’’ said Gordon. “Many of his actions – the restoration of the train station and pushing for an Amtrak stop in the city – paved the way for the renaissance of downtown Yonkers.’’

Martinelli served as Mayor of Yonkers from 1974 to 1979, and from 1982-1987. It was during his second stint as mayor that Martinelli worked to bring together a divided city during a landmark federal housing desegregation case that thrust Yonkers into the national spotlight.

Known as a man of the people, Martinelli worked hard to instill pride in the city, never letting an opportunity pass to celebrate Yonkers’ attributes. He began the annual holiday celebrations in Getty Square, brought back the historic Yonkers Marathon to the city and founded the popular Yonkers Farmers Market.  He reactivated the Yonkers Police Athletic League (PAL) and re-constituted the Yonkers IDA.

Last year, Spano honored Martinelli with the first-ever City of Yonkers Lifetime Achievement Award for a Yonkers resident.  Mayor Martinelli was also honored earlier this year at Yonkers Train Station for his historic contributions and for making Yonkers the “Gateway to the Hudson Valley.”