The Journal News (Westchester County, New York)
March 13, 2007 Tuesday
GWP Edition
Doran Jr., retired Yonkers City Court judge, to run for mayor
BYLINE: David McKay Wilson
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 6A
YONKERS – A week into retirement after a 20-year run as a Yonkers City Court judge, Democrat Arthur Doran Jr. is expected to announce his candidacy for mayor tomorrow at the Polish Community Center.
Doran, 65, retired from the bench on March 7, midway through his third term, saying it was time for new challenges. With his anticipated announcement, Doran will become the second Democrat officially in the race.
“We’re off and running,” Doran said. “It’s a whole new world.”
Doran will join City Councilman Dennis Robertson, D-3rd District, who announced his mayoral candidacy last month, in a race to face incumbent Republican Mayor Phil Amicone, who so far has no intra-party opponent. Two other Democrats, Councilwoman Sandy Annabi, D-2nd District, and former labor leader Lenny Spano – brother of GOP state Assemblyman Mike Spano and former Republican state Sen. Nick Spano – will be included in a party poll to be conducted over the coming week.
The city Democratic convention is set for April 26, at which time the party will designate its nominee. Losing candidates could gather petitions to force a September primary.
Doran said he has been thinking of running for two years.
“I see the national Democratic trend and figure it’s time for an Irish Catholic Democrat with a real solid background to be in sync with the state and country,” he said.
Amicone spokesman David Simpson warned that Doran comes to the race with baggage, noting his ties to former Yonkers Democratic City Committee Chairman Ralph Arred, who in September was sentenced to two years in federal prison for tax evasion.
“Judge Doran is a throwback to the days when political bosses like Ralph Arred ran City Hall and picked judges,” said Simpson. “I’m not sure if – at a time when the city is moving forward and Ralph Arred is behind bars – that people want to go back there.”
Doran, however, made no apologies for his long personal friendship with Arred, which continues today. If he had the financial wherewithal, Doran said he “would have been delighted” to pay the back taxes owed by Arred.
“He has been to all my daughters’ weddings and he has been a close personal friend for more than 30 years,” Doran said. “His white-collar problem I’m sorry for, and I still love him.”
Doran, who was born and raised in Yonkers, has longstanding ties to City Hall. While attending Manhattan College and New York Law School, he worked as an investigator for the Yonkers Corporation Counsel’s office. Upon his graduation, he was named assistant corporation counsel, and later corporation counsel during two stints in the 1980s.
He lost his first citywide race for judge in 1985, but a year later, following the death of Judge Robert Cacace, he won a six-year term. In 1992, after state law changed the term to ten years, he won a second citywide race. He won a third term in 2002. Doran has been succeeded by City Court Judge Michael Martinelli as chief judge.
While acknowledging that he and Amicone were friends, Doran said he’d do more jump-start development in the state’s fourth-largest city.
“The incumbent and I are pretty good friends, and the things I’ve seen on paper look wonderful,” he said. “But things have yet to happen and I’m wondering when they are going to happen. I haven’t seen a lot of results. It seems to be getting bogged down.”
Robertson yesterday charged that Doran’s son, Peter, had misused his position as city Democratic City Committee secretary to promote his father’s candidacy by sending an e-mail message to Democratic leaders, inviting them to the Wednesday announcement.
“You can’t use party resources for one candidate’s campaign,” Robertson said. ” You have to use your own resources. Peter might want to step aside as party secretary.”
Peter Doran did not return a message left at his law office.
Party Chairman Ken Jenkins said the same e-mail list provided to Doran was available to Robertson as well. While the committee secretary usually runs party conventions, Jenkins said Peter Doran will not run the convention at which his father will be a candidate.
LOAD-DATE: March 14, 2007
Arthur J. Doran is my grandfather. We all knew Doran was going to be a fantastic mayor. But with all family problems, it was just too much to handle. Arthur J. Doran is a great man. A the greatest grandfather a kid could ask for. I am 14 years old, and my grandfathers has taught me all of the great lessons in life. His love for New York is unbelievable. Doran is always in the mood to see something historical, whether it is 5 minutes away or 9 hours. Arthur J. Doran is a great man, who is a grandfather, to 10, and a father to 5. His Irish background effects him proudly. Yonkers would’ve been great if Arthur J. Doran was elected, and did not drop out. But, I believe things worked out for the best.
—Holly