Edith Parmenter Welty was the first woman in history to hold the office of mayor in the City of Yonkers. Welty was a trailblazer in Yonkers politics. Her fierce independence and ideas on the structure of local government reshaped the city and could still inform our community today.
A matriarch for the city
Edith P. Welty was described as a “tennis-playing grandmother” by the New York Times when she first became involved in Yonkers politics. While living at 92 Normandy Rd, she raised a family and wasn’t involved in politics for most of her life. However, after a friend convinced her to attend a local meeting of the League of Women Voters in 1934, she was hooked. Her commitment to deeply studying the issues led her to become an expert on them. Having this expert knowledge, she soon saw herself leading a committee that would define her political career.
Then, as still today, the two-party political system is more of a game or even theatre, than actual opposition resulting in change. To challenge this, “The City Manager’s League” was formed with Welty at the helm. The League’s aim was to completely reshape how government operated in Yonkers. This form of “city manager” government proposes proportional representation and a non-partisan ballot. Distributing power amongst citizen representatives on a council that coordinates with an appointed City Manager was meant to curb corruption and waste that was growing in the city due to partisan gamesmanship. After a couple of failed ballot referendums, this revolutionary charter revision passed on its third attempt in 1939.
The influence of Welty’s commitment and leadership to this cause came with many accolades. The first of which was the “Most Outstanding Woman” award which she won from the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Yonkers in 1938.
Elected to the Government She Formed
The second accolade was winning a seat in government for herself. In 1940, Welty was first elected to the newly constituted Yonkers Common Council–now called in its current form, City Council. Although she was pleased with some progress made under the new form of government, she overall felt her vision fell short. When asked about the changes in government, Welty commented, “I am disappointed.” Her disappointment was that many political insiders from the previous administration were still on staff, just in other positions. Meaning that the government was simply reconfigured and not truly reformed.
As for her political party allegiance, one could say she didn’t strongly have one. Edith P. Welty was initially endorsed for her two-year council term by the Republican party. However in subsequent re-election bids, she fell out of favor with the GOP. After the lack of party endorsement, she began to identify as an “independent” Republican starting in 1947. Sometimes Welty even challenged other Republicans in general elections, as she did for State Senate race against William F. Condon. She eventually exited that particular race citing her commitment to protecting the new Yonkers City Charter she had worked so hard to enact.
Mayor for a day
On September 1st, 1940, Yonkers Mayor Curtiss E. Frank resigned his office after serving six years. He left to pursue his legal career in publishing and advertising. There were only four months left remaining in his term.
Given the newly populist-style of government Welty championed, the new mayor was to be appointed by a recount of the previous election’s candidates. By a margin of 277 out of over forty-thousand votes, 61 year-old Welty became the first female mayor of Yonkers. The defeated John Whalen became Vice Mayor by law.
During her brief stint as mayor, Edith P. Welty was praised for her leadership, ability to bring people together, and her commitment to the community. She even earned a nickname from the local newspaper, The Herald Statesman. Given her vigor, they referred to Mayor Welty as, “Public Energy Number One.”
Ironically, the few months that Welty served as Mayor under the proportional representation system was to be the city’s last. While the government retained the “city manager” system for many years to come, it reverted back to a ward-based map of representation.
Staying Active and Involved
After leaving office, Welty continued to be active in the community. She was a trustee of the Salvation Army in Yonkers, a member of The Young Women’s Christian Association and of the Chaminade Club.
The City of Yonkers memorialized its first female mayor by gracing a local park with her name. Edith P. Welty park is located on the east side of Yonkers on Mile Square road. It hosts a playground, a baseball field, and tennis courts that Edith herself would have loved to play on.
Welty passed away at St. John’s Riverside Hospital on December 31, 1957 at the age of 76. But, Edith P. Welty’s legacy lives on in the city she loved. She was a true trailblazer in Yonkers politics, and her commitment to public service and dedication to the community continue to inspire others to follow in her footsteps.
