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Mayor Selects Two For Yonkers Parks Department

YONKERS, N.Y. – Yonkers' parks department will soon have new leadership.

Yvette Hartsfield and Steve Sansone (center) stand with Mayor Mike Spano and members of the City Council on Tuesday after being nominated for leading roles in the parks department.

Yvette Hartsfield and Steve Sansone (center) stand with Mayor Mike Spano and members of the City Council on Tuesday after being nominated for leading roles in the parks department.

Photo Credit: City of Yonkers

Mayor Mike Spano has nominated Yvette Hartsfield, a 20-year veteran of various municipal parks departments in Florida, as the city’s parks commissioner.

Steve Sansone, executive director of the Yonkers Downtown Waterfront Business Improvement District, was named as the mayor's choice for the department’s deputy commissioner. 

Spano’s office says a review board consisting of top city officials selected Hartsfield after a nationwide search.

“Yvette holds impressive credentials and is a great fit for our city – her in-depth knowledge and experience of the workings of municipal parks departments elevated her above the rest when considering a new parks commissioner,” the mayor said in a statement.

Most recently, Hartsfield served as the assistant parks and recreation director for the city of Miami Gardens. She also has been the recreation and parks director for the cities of Leesburg and Palm Coast, Fla.

Hartsfield will replace acting parks commissioner Craig Berardo, who officials say will continue to work for the city in other roles.

"I am honored and excited by the opportunity that Mayor Spano has provided me to help enhance the quality of life for our Yonkers residents,” said Hartsfield.

“My family and I are thrilled to be making this move, and I look forward to becoming quickly integrated into the community.”

Sansone will join the department after serving the past five years as the executive director of the Downtown Waterfront BID. Previously, Sansone served as the assistant engineer for the state attorney general’s office.

“Steve brings first-hand experience to our parks department, working with Yonkers residents on a daily basis as an active community organizer,” Spano said. “The city has worked closely with Steve over the years and we’ve always been impressed with this leadership and can-do attitude.”

The two nominees will be presented in the coming weeks to the Yonkers City Council for final confirmation.

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