Q&A: Leslye Oquendo-Thomas on Her Termination, Representation, and Affordability in District 17

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas, a 12-year legislative aide at Yonkers City Hall and former United Nations peacekeeping staffer, is seeking election as Westchester County Legislator in District 17. The seat is open following the retirement of José I. Alvarado.

Oquendo-Thomas was terminated from her position at the Yonkers City Council in early February, one day after circulating a campaign volunteer flyer. In an interview with *Yonkers Post* contributor Michael Lazari, she discussed the timeline of her dismissal, internal party dynamics, language access, affordability, workforce development, immigration protections, and what independent representation would mean at the county level.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Minor repetition and filler words have been removed.

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Yonkers Post: Walk us through when you decided to run and what followed.

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: I never held a formal kickoff announcement. I didn’t do the traditional “launch event,” and the reason is simple: I had been warned that my job could be at risk if I ran. So I stayed under the radar for as long as I could.

I did open my committee to run for office. That was done, and I began moving forward. But I didn’t put out the kind of big public announcement people usually do, because I was trying to delay retaliation as much as possible.

On December 15, I called Democratic Party Chair Thomas G. Meier to express my interest in running. That phone call was very short. He shut it down quickly and told me that Wilson Terrero was getting the party endorsement. What stood out to me was that this happened before district leaders had even met to discuss the endorsement process. So the impression I was left with was that the decision had already been made.

After that conversation, people started approaching me and warning me. I hadn’t announced anything publicly, but rumors were already moving. People would say, “I heard you might be running. You have to be careful. You know how Yonkers is.” And the warnings were specifically about my job.

Then on February 4, I circulated a flyer looking for volunteers. Within 24 hours, I was terminated.

I went to work like any other day. A Republican staff member in the Council office — someone who, in my view, works very closely with the Democratic Party leadership — had already cleared out my office and asked everyone to step out so I would be alone.

One of Majority Leader John Rubbo’s aides came in with a letter. A deputy from Corporation Counsel was there as a witness. He handed me the letter and said, essentially, “Sorry to tell you this, but today will be your last day at the City Council.”

I asked, “On what grounds?” And I was told, “It’s in the letter.”

So I opened the letter and there were no grounds listed. It simply stated that I was terminated effective immediately and instructed me to proceed to HR to turn in my ID.

After 12 years of service, with no disciplinary record, no complaints, no write-ups — to be terminated without any reason stated, and one day after circulating a volunteer flyer — the timing is difficult to ignore.

Yonkers Post: Were you given any explanation or opportunity to respond before the decision was finalized?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: No.

There was no prior conversation. No meeting. No chance to respond. No chance to discuss alternatives like a leave of absence.

My direct supervisor, Councilwoman Corazon Pineda-Isaac, wasn’t even informed. I was the one who called her and said, “They just fired me.” She was shocked.

And I want to be clear: I anticipated something could happen, which is why I had cleared out my desk two weeks in advance. I didn’t want to be put in a position where I had personal things there or anything that could be used to embarrass me.

But even with that preparation, I was still escorted out of City Hall like I had done something wrong. After 12 years, that was difficult to accept.

Yonkers Post: What was your direct interaction with Majority Leader John Rubbo regarding your dismissal?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: There wasn’t any direct interaction. He did not sit down with me. He did not call me. His aide delivered the letter. I believe the City Council should operate as an independent body. But in situations like this, it does not feel independent. It feels like decisions are made based on political considerations.

I also don’t believe he made this decision on his own. I believe he was told what to do. I can’t prove who told him, but there was no performance reason to terminate me. I had zero disciplinary history. So it doesn’t add up as anything other than a political decision.

And to be honest, I think part of this is about power and loyalty. If someone is considering running for higher office themselves, they may not want to upset party leadership. They may want to stay in good standing. That’s how these decisions get made.

Yonkers Post: A few years ago, the aide to Councilman Anthony Merante was also terminated. Do you see similarities between that situation and your own?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: I do.

I’ll say this carefully: that is not my story to tell personally, but facts are facts. At the time, the stated reason was that she wasn’t coming to work. But during COVID there were executive orders allowing remote work, and when people were asked to return, her direct supervisor gave her permission to continue working from home. I know she was working. She reached out to me multiple times with work-related questions. She was engaged.

Yet she was fired by then-Minority Leader Mike Breen and she did not work for him directly. She worked for Councilman Merante.

So it raised a question then, and it raises a question now: how broad are these hiring and firing powers being interpreted? Because in practice, it can become a tool used for political discipline rather than management.

Yonkers Post: Do you believe there’s a broader pattern in how staff are treated when political considerations arise?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: Yes. And I think it becomes clear when you compare situations.

If you’re “one of their own,” you’re allowed to run. If you’re not, you may be treated differently.

Diana Robinson ran for City Council while she was a legislative aide and was allowed to keep her job.

My opponent, Wilson Terrero, is a City of Yonkers employee in the City Clerk’s office and has been allowed to keep his job while campaigning.

So what is the standard?

If the rule is that public employees can run for office, then that needs to be consistent. If the rule is that public employees cannot run for office, then that also needs to be consistent.

What I’m pointing to is inconsistency. And when the inconsistency lines up with who the party has chosen to support, people will draw conclusions.

I also want to say this: I believe in democracy. I believe in free and fair elections. Competitive elections are healthy. Encouraging civic engagement is healthy. What I’m seeing feels like the opposite discouraging people from running, discouraging competition, and clearing the field.

Yonkers Post: Your opponent is also a city employee. How do you view the difference in treatment?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: The difference is that he gets to keep his job, and I did not.

And I’m paying attention to something else as well: a city employee should not be campaigning while they are on the clock as a city employee. They should not be using city resources, city time, or city positioning to advance their campaign.

That’s something I’m watching carefully, because public trust matters. If you work for the public, you have to be careful about how you conduct yourself while campaigning.

Yonkers Post: You were reportedly the only Spanish- and French-speaking staff member serving the council. What impact does your departure have on residents who relied on that access?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: It’s significant. Most of my calls were in Spanish. A large share of residents in the district are Hispanic, and when people call City Hall they need to be able to communicate clearly, especially when they’re calling about something urgent or stressful.

There is also a Haitian community. I have used my French to help residents as well. But the majority of the work was Spanish language access.

When you remove that access, residents feel it immediately. It affects how quickly they can get help, how accurately their issues are understood, and how comfortable they feel reaching out at all.

And beyond language, there’s also trust. I was there for 12 years. People knew they could call and I would try to help, even when the issue wasn’t technically under our jurisdiction.

Yonkers Post: Looking forward, beyond the controversy, what are your top priorities driving your campaign?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: Meaningful representation. That is first.

District 17 deserves representation that is independent and responsive to residents — not representation that is shaped primarily by party insiders.

This is an open seat. José Alvarado is retiring. I don’t have anything personal against him, but I do believe he is seen as a party insider, and what I’m watching now is an attempt to replace one insider with another insider, without meaningful competition.

And I want to be very clear: this race isn’t just about what happened to me. It’s about whether residents have real choices and whether elections are open and competitive.

On policy, affordability is central. People say “affordable housing” all the time, but it often isn’t affordable in practice. The eligibility criteria are often tied to Westchester’s Area Median Income, and that does not reflect the economic reality of Yonkers — especially in District 17, which is one of the poorest districts in the county.

I’ve helped residents apply for “affordable” housing only to hear, “I don’t make enough money to qualify.” That should tell you the system is not aligned with real incomes.

So the question becomes: affordable for who?

Transportation is another issue. Many residents rely on public transit to get to work. We have seen free bus programs during COVID and seasonal programs. If we can do it then, we should at least explore how to reduce the burden long-term for working residents.

Westchester Community College is another priority. A lot of students in this district are first-generation college students. Many are immigrants or children of immigrants. Lowering the cost and even making two years tuition-free or substantially reduced would give people a real starting point without burying them in debt. I say that personally. I graduated with a lot of debt.

Workforce development and economic opportunity also matter. Yonkers is booming with development, but many residents aren’t benefiting. They’re not getting the jobs, or the jobs aren’t union jobs, or they don’t lead anywhere after the project ends.

We need career pathways, paid apprenticeships, prevailing wage, project labor agreements — structures that ensure development benefits residents directly.

I also think wage theft is a real issue and not talked about enough. People are working and not being paid correctly, and it’s happening quietly.

Infrastructure matters too. Development is coming into a city with aging infrastructure. County funding and capital planning should be tied to real infrastructure needs so we’re not building new projects on top of old systems that can’t support them.

And finally, county services need to be easier to navigate. I’m the caregiver for my 80-year-old mother who has dementia. It was a nightmare trying to get her the help she needed. And I’m a person with education and experience. Imagine someone navigating that system for the first time, or someone with language barriers, or someone who doesn’t know where to start.

Residents would call our office for help with everything, including Department of Social Services issues — even though DSS is county jurisdiction. I would still call on their behalf, because people needed help. Government should not feel like a maze.

On immigration protections, I believe the Immigration Protection Act should be strengthened. There should be regular reporting on requests from ICE and how the county responds. Agencies need clarity and training on what they can and cannot do. Accountability and compliance matter.

Those are the issues I care about, because they affect people’s daily lives.

Yonkers Post: How has your experience inside government shaped how you would lead differently?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: It means there’s no learning curve.

I’ve spent 12 years inside government. I know how agencies function. I know how to navigate processes and push for answers. I know how to help residents get through bureaucracy.

And I also believe more decisions should be made with community input — especially at the county level. Too often policy is decided without enough input from the people who are directly affected. If you don’t listen to residents, how do you know the policy you’re passing is actually addressing what they need?

Yonkers Post: If voters set aside the circumstances of your dismissal, what do you most want them to understand about your candidacy?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: That I’m here for them.

I wouldn’t answer to party insiders. I would answer to residents.

People who worked with me over the last 12 years know what they’re getting. I returned calls. I followed up. I advocated. Sometimes it took weeks of emails and calls just to get an answer for someone, but I kept pushing.

I want to bring that same level of advocacy and independence to the county.

Yonkers Post: If you could recommend one Yonkers restaurant to a first-time visitor, what’s your go-to spot?

Leslye Oquendo-Thomas: That’s hard because I’m a foodie. It depends on what I feel like eating.

But I’ll give you a few.

Off the Hook on North Broadway, you have to try it. The fried catfish nuggets are great, and they have jerk chicken egg rolls that are really good.

Bella Havana for Cuban food.

Guerrero’s on South Broadway, they actually started as a small juice bar, it got popular fast, then they expanded and started offering food. Fajitas, tacos, burritos — they’re good.

And for pizza, I go to Gino’s.