Saying Goodbye to Mayor Joe

As I walked down the hallowed hall of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in White Plains on Saturday, I couldn’t help thinking it was a venerable place to say so long to a guy who did so much to bring about a renaissance in his beloved City of White Plains. Joe Delfino was the city’s mayor during the ’90s, and before that he was a county legislator. Mayor Joe was mayor when ArtsWestchester purchased the Peoples National Bank and Trust building on Mamaroneck Avenue in 1998 and helped facilitate the enormous task of restoration with a generous grant through the city. No one would question Mayor Joe’s first priority in community life. It was his beloved City of White Plains. Working with Mayor Joe as I did for many years, I learned a lot about the dignity and gracious spirit of politics as we knew it then. His leadership style was warm and folksy; he never took credit for anything without mentioning the chorus of people who helped him bring about change. Mayor Joe would always announce these words from the podium: “No one does anything alone.”  By this he meant, it takes a village.

His words were words I borrowed whenever I was talking about the miracle of the historical transformation of a bank building into a cultural center for White Plains. Mayor Joe’s enthusiasm was contagious and it helped me during the 33 years that I was the steward of ArtsWestchester, the former Westchester Arts Council. Thank you, Mayor Joe, for being a most loyal resident and booster of the City of White Plains. We are all better because of your leadership.

Photo: Mayor Joe Delfino was at the ribbon cutting of the opening of ArtsWestchester’s building in 1998.