John A. Lipman - Alfred B. DelBello: His Life and Times

I had the pleasure and privilege of working with Al DelBello when I served as commissioner of planning and economic development for the city of Yonkers. He was an amazing person. His intelligence, wit, and sense of humor as we worked through his clients complex real estate issues were unrivaled. It was a joy to work with him, and I grew to love him in the process. I am not sure many politicians or former politicians elicit similar feelings.

Wilson KimballPresident and CEO of the Municipal Housing Authority of the City of Yonkers

Al DelBello was a visionary who worked tirelessly in his public and private sector life to make these visions a reality for the city of Yonkers, county of Westchester and the state of New York.

Ed SheeranPalmer Economic Development Inc. and President and former Executive Director of YIDA

Al was the rare public official who worked to efficiently and creatively run county government while simultaneously anticipating future needs. He set the standard for effective and ethical county executive conduct. He was able to bring significant permanent solutions to Westchester with a bi-partisan approach that is desperately missing today in our national government.

Dick OttingerFormer Westchester Congressman and Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University

Both in 1976 as Westchester County Executive and in 1997 as chair of the Westchester County Health Care Corporation, Alfred DelBello played key roles in the birth and preservation of Westchester Medical Center: the primary teaching hospital of New York Medical College. This preserved the ability of our 162-year-old college to generate and disseminate knowledge about the causes, prevention and treatment of human disease and disabilities.

Edward C. Halperin, M.D. MAChancellor/CEO and Professor of Radiation Oncology, Pediatrics and History at the New York Medical College of Touro University

Al had a strong belief about the difference in serving in executive office versus legislative office. When I urged him to run for the U.S. Senate, he said, No, I prefer hands-on getting things done.

Ed Meyer Retired New York State Assemblyman and Connecticut State Senator

Alfred B.

DelBello

His Life

and Times

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He made the right things happen

by John A. Lipman

atmosphere press

2022 John A. Lipman

Published by Atmosphere Press

Cover design by Ronaldo Alves

No part of this book may be reproduced without permission from the author except in brief quotations and in reviews.

atmospherepress.com

dedication

No one could have predicted that this book about Alfred B. DelBello would take on so much more meaning because of the lack of bipartisanship in our national government and politics in general, which commenced early in this 21st century. Forty years ago, a young man driven not by ambition, but rather a passion for doing the right things with a creative, professional government comprising men and women regardless of their political persuasion. He was persuaded by accomplishments and tackling challenges others in public office might shy away from, fearing loss of votes and favor from their constituents.

I dedicate this book to all those government officials and staff who believed in Al DelBello and stood by him, and helped with the outstanding achievements of his tenure. Some were ground-breaking, some brought national attention, but all brought stature and immense credibility to Westchester County.

Among the many allies in the DelBello government, one person stands out for her competence, dedication and, most important her genuine friendship. Peggy Lichtenstein has been tenacious, supportive and relentless in her inspiration. With an uncanny memory of the outstanding moments in government, which she was part of, she guided the research and moved the project along for seven years. Thank you, Peggy.

Thanks to editor Georgette Gouveia, an author herself, whose writing ability brought confidence to those of us who were patiently awaiting the completion of this book. Thank you, Georgette.

Thanks to author John Lipman for his diligence and persistent pursuit of the facts and pertinent details. Among those who attempted to write Als biography, John was the only one who succeeded in portraying the creative government official, family man, and my husband. Thank you, John.

Dee DelBello

Editors Note

Climate change. Health care. Race relations. Affordable housing. Education. Infrastructure. Police and prison reform. Workers and womens rights.

These are some of the searing issues of our day. But a half-century ago, they also defined the political career of Alfred B. DelBello (1934-2015), first as mayor of Yonkers, New York; then as Westchester County Executive and finally as New York State Governor Mario M. Cuomos first lieutenant governor.

As mayor of his native Yonkers the largest city in Westchester, the county immediately north of New York City he defied an ingrained, corrupt, inefficient patronage system to bring fiscal sanity and better living conditions to all Yonkers citizens. (In an age when politicians ranging from former New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have come under fire for allegedly mixing the public and the personal, DelBello was scrupulous in keeping both separate.)

As the first member of the Democratic Party to be elected Westchester County Executive, he created the first Office for the Disabled and the first Office for Women in New York State. DelBello again balanced fiscal conservatism with quality-of-life issues helping to open Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla and a waste recovery plant in Peekskill; building the countys only boat-launching ramp on Long Island Sound at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle; and creating bicycle paths along the Bronx River Parkway. His love of the environment and concern for health care in particular make him a not-so-distant mirror, to borrow a term from historian Barbara Tuchman of our own times.

This, then, is no He was born in a log cabin biography but rather a look at the political and professional life of a man who, despite a public career, remained private.

I went to lunch with Al several times toward the end of his life when I went to work for Westfair Communications Inc., owned by his wife, Dee DelBello. It was in 2011 that the idea for this book first emerged, and I, as a potential author, talked about it with him over several lunches at the Renaissance Westchester Hotel in Harrison. Sadly, although we had collected and cataloged Als experiences and memories of his life, the book would become a posthumous project when Al died of complications from a fall on May 15, 2015, after a brief, intense illness.

The Al I got to know at those lunches and at Westfairs office where he would stop in and chat with the staff, enjoying a few of the candies they kept out front and playing with the West Highland Terriers that accompanied Dee to work was a real mensch, a gentleman and gentle man who spoke warmly of his family, including son Damon, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla; daughter-in-law Jill; and grandchildren, Daniel, Alexandra, and Gabriella. But that warmth was especially reserved for Dee, whose smart sophistication was a source of great pride for him.

Perhaps the greatest advice he shared with me, and something Ive always adhered to is, always make sure you get home and spend quality time with your family, former Westchester County Executive and New York State Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rob Astorino said when Al died. The job is hectic, but always make time for your family.