A Tribute to a True Public Servant: White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino

As a working journalist for more than 40 years, my role has always been as a reporter. Rarely have I shared my opinion with readers because as a reporter, I feel my opinion is not necessary and in most cases, unwelcome. It is rare indeed for me to pen a column due to that professional mantra. However, if you can indulge, the passing of White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino on Oct. 17 at the age of 92 has prompted me to share some professional and personal thoughts on this true public servant.

The White Plains native entered politics after a career in the private sector and first admirably served his constituents as a member of the White Plains Common Council and later as a Westchester County Legislator. However, it was his 12 years serving as Mayor of White Plains (1997-2009) that I believe epitomized the true meaning of public service.

For some background, my family moved to White Plains when I completed my sophomore year of high school in 1973. Relocating from Queens, we lived on Midland Avenue and my first regular job was as the downstairs stockboy at Woolworth’s on Mamaroneck Avenue. I later graduated from the College of White Plains on North Broadway and worked at Gannett Suburban Newspapers, the Westchester County Business Journal, and for nearly 30 years as the editor of Westchester Realtor and Real Estate In-Depth. I reported first-hand on the accomplishments of the Delfino administration.

I have reached out to some business and political leaders who interacted with “Mayor Joe” for their memories of this true visionary (see below). As others will attest, his policies and love for his hometown were infectious as well as transformational. I recall him telling me that when he first took office, the only projects before the city were for residential home improvements. There were no development projects in the pipeline. He observed that back in the late 1980s the streets of Downtown White Plains would fold up after 5 p.m. As reported in the October 2009 edition of Real Estate In-Depth, then outgoing Mayor Deflino reflected on his three terms of office at a meeting of the Westchester County Board of Realtors Commercial Investment Division. At the session, CID President John Barrett prophetically related, “His legacy and leadership will be evident in this town 100 years from now.” The mayor told the CID gathering: “It was a pleasure to make this sea change in our city at a time when it was sorely needed.” He then uttered his familiar refrain that when he first took office: “You could have shot a cannon down Mamaroneck Avenue and hit nobody, nobody.”

By fostering a business-friendly environment and certainty into the development process, the mayor helped redevelop the downtown district that was replete with vacant storefronts, little consumer traffic and an office vacancy rate of 35% into a thriving commercial hub. What was once home to one-screen theaters and run-down buildings, the mayor helped attract billions of dollars in private investment, high-rise luxury residences and thousands of new residents.

My other memory of Mayor Joe is very personal but showed the true measure of how much he loved his job and the people of White Plains. The mayor was known to go to every service of a recently passed White Plains resident, no matter how long his day was. This was true for my family on Jan. 20, 2009, at the memorial at Hawthorne Funeral Home for my father Dennis, who had passed away earlier that month. My mother Helen was greeting mourners when “Mayor Joe” arrived. After shaking my hand, the mayor hugged my Mom and spent time with her talking about my father, whom he had met several times. His act of kindness helped my mother and I in that most difficult time and for that, I will forever be in his debt. Mayor Joe, may you rest in peace.

The following are tributes to Mayor Joe from Westchester business and political leaders:

“As I look out on the City of White Plains from my office, this is Joe Delfino’s White Plains. I credit Al Del Vecchio for some of the things, Sy Schulman and subsequently Tom Roach and Adam Bradley along the way, but Joe Delfino was the mayor at a pivotal time and when the explosion (of development) in White Plains happened—he managed it. It is hard to manage because people don’t like change and people feel threatened by change. But he was able to manage it and what we see today is a city that is stronger than it has ever been and Joe rightfully has that as part of his legacy. I am going to miss him. I think we will all miss him and I hope that in years to come people will know who Joe Delfino was because he was one heck of a guy.”

Westchester County Executive George Latimer

“We all know Mayor Joe as the man who catalyzed and transformed White Plains into the incredibly vibrant city it has become. He had the unique ability to bring everyone together across all cultures, aisles and viewpoints to achieve the great vision he had to create a world-class city. And how he loved everything about being Mayor. He danced with Asian dragons, attended every cultural event, loved children, seniors, workers and business leaders and always showed his appreciation. And when the White Plains Performing Arts Center was born, he would watch each performance multiple times and stand outside and greet every attendee!

A true man of the people. I had the honor of traveling on a trip many years ago to Italy with Mayor Joe to build business ties with Italian companies. And we were seatmates on the bus. What a wonderful time we had, learning, laughing, eating and some praying too. That experience led to a long lasting and special relationship between the BCW and the Mayor, with whom we were always supportive as he was to us. Most of all, Mayor Joe’s relationship with his children, Joe and BCW Executive Committee member Cynthia Delfino Birdsall was very special. The relationship Cindy had with her Dad was one which I was fortunate enough to witness personally. I can’t imagine a closer father and daughter, personally, as parent and child, later as a caretaker, and professionally as trusted confidants and advisors. Mayor Joe, you made a difference in the lives of so many and you will remain in our hearts forever.”

Dr. Marsha Gordon
President & CEO
Business Council of Westchester

 “When I first met Joe Delfino, I thought to myself that whatever I want to do in White Plains is going to be a hard sell. I’m going to have to convince him beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can pull any particular project off. As the Mayor of a 50,000+ resident city, Joe and his team were somewhat skeptical of any grandiose plans put forth by any developer in White Plains as it seems like he had been disappointed on many occasions after endorsing any complex plan. The ‘convincing him’ part was the mission and after that when he bought in, everyone needed to move over as he was an unstoppable force who would go above and beyond any norm to make things happen. For Cappelli, there would be no City Center, and certainly no Ritz Carlton in two, 45 story towers, in White Plains without this belief and his total commitment. There would be no Renaissance Square Road, in the works for over 30 years, which is a vital connector between the Main St and Hamilton Ave corridors. But all of what I said, well that’s just looking at it through the eyes of a businessman, a developer. But there was a much deeper side, a passionate side that best described Joe as there was a ‘man of the people’ side. Joe would be at every funeral of a friend, loved one or stranger who lived in White Plains and would pay his respects every time someone suffered a loss, whether it was an emotional loss or a financial one such as a house fire or flood. He was quick to respond and even quicker to cause his Chief of Staff and Commissioners to remove the ‘red tape’ and just get the problem resolved without equivocation. He wanted results, no floundering or patience to be delayed in his quest to accomplish.

While I can’t say we were in constant contact since Joe left office, I’m saddened by his passing, and feel like I have lost both a friend and supporter of my own dreams which I would never have accomplished without him and his loyal staff. One thing I do believe when a person passes, he is measured by what he has left as there is nothing more he can do in the future. The material measurements of his accomplishments in White Plains are great and there for all to continue to see but mostly his emotional, sincere involvement and caring for the city and its residents are even greater to feel. I just wanted to pay my respect in words to Joe Delfino, a great man and as we move forward to always remember the imprint he left on this city, which others who sincerely care about its future are now in control of and are taking the City of White Plains to the next level with extraordinary custody and care. And that’s how it should be. My sincere condolences to his family.”

Louis R. Cappelli
Partner
Cappelli Enterprises, LLC, White Plains

“Mayor Joe, as he was affectionately, referred to was cut in the mold of Fiorella LaGuardia. Soft spoken, but he carried a big stick. I worked side-by-side with the mayor during our creation of the economic Renaissance in downtown White Plains. He would never accept no as an answer when we were building City Center or when we were recruiting a movie theater or grocery store for downtown White Plains. He required his department heads to meet with the developers on a weekly basis in order to enable this critical building and economic development in downtown White Plains. He was a doer! He was a visionary, and most of all he was a great family man. He will be missed by all, but his legacy will endure.”

Joseph Apicella
Executive Vice President
MacQuesten Development LLC

 “Mayor Delfino was a wonderful leader of the City of White Plains. As a department head (Commissioner of Planning) I was able to see the dedication he made to assure that the City of White Plains was moving forward. Working with developers and retail leaders, Mayor Delfino, along with the city's Common Council, forged a strong path that led to The City of White Plains being the economic powerhouse for Westchester. The City of White Plains still benefits from that infusion of development with having a very strong retail base that provides sales tax revenues allowing the City of White Plains to have lower property tax than any of our neighboring communities in Westchester.”

Michael Graessle
Associate Broker
Howard Hanna Rand Realty, White Plains