Phil Amicone

Philip A. Amicone
41st Mayor of Yonkers
In office January 1, 2004 – January 1, 2012
Preceded by	John Spencer
Succeeded by	Mike Spano
Personal details
Born	(1949-03-30) March 30, 1949 Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Kay Terry Amicone
Residence(s)	Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Education	Manhattan College (BS) New York University (MS)

Philip A. Amicone (born March 30, 1949) was the 41st Mayor of Yonkers, New York. He took office on January 1, 2004, after serving eight years as Deputy Mayor.

Career

As Deputy Mayor he was involved in all phases of the city’s redevelopment. He was also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city departments.

Prior to becoming Deputy Mayor of Yonkers, Amicone was Commissioner of the Department of Building for the City of White Plains. Before his employment in White Plains, he worked for The Port Authority of NY & NJ and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Amicone is a licensed Professional Engineer. He was awarded a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in 1971 from Manhattan College and a Masters of Civil Engineering from New York University. As mayor, he is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Mayor Amicone will forever be known as the leader of Yonkers' new renaissance, as he spearheaded the two major developments in Yonkers within recent history - Yonkers Downtown Projects and Ridge Hill. In the downtown, a three-pronged plan that would bring more than 3,500 apartments, almost 4,000 parking spaces and more than 4.5 million square feet of new construction to downtown Yonkers. In November of 2011, after many years of organizing, waters began to flow above ground in downtown Yonkers for the first time in 90 years – a major achievement for both the Coalition and the City of Yonkers.

Ridge Hill is the second project that was accomplished under the Amicone administration. The project has the New York area's first outdoor mall, with a multiplex cinema, its own Main St. and a water, light and fire show straight out of Las Vegas. There's a Whole Foods, Lord & Taylor, L.L. Bean, medical building, and four-phase residential component, where one-bedrooms start at $325,000. The development sits on a ridge (hence the name) overlooking the countryside, and it's less than eight minutes from the nearest train station. The goal is to have a living experience where residents don't need cars and can walk to restaurants, stores and medical facilities.

However, Mayor Amicone's strongest suite and best contribution to the City of Yonkers, remains his approach to open up Government to the people. When Mayor Philip A. Amicone gave a presentation to residents at his town hall meetings, a city slogan was splashed on a large screen. "Yonkers," it read, "City of Vision." But in the audience of about 100 people, there was another slogan stubbornly kicking around in many minds: "Yonkers is a city of hills and valleys. Nothing is on the level." The adage has stuck with Yonkers for decades, a flip summary of the petty corruption and problem-plagued city government that residents have long complained about. Then, nearly halfway through his four-year term as mayor, Mr. Amicone worked to change the mood of frustration and helplessness among those who live within city limits. For the first time in anyone's recent memory, Yonkers's mayor was speaking freely, readily talking with the news media and local residents.

In 1970, he married Kay Terry. They have three sons: Joseph, Brendan and Matthew. They are also the grandparents of their first grandchild, Julia Kaylin Amicone.