Henry Spallone

Henry G. Spallone ( 1926 – November 27, 2009), known as Hank Spallone, was an American politician and police detective who served as mayor of Yonkers, New York, from 1990 to 1991. A Republican, he came to national attention in the late 1980s as the most prominent opponent on the Yonkers City Council of a federal court order requiring the city to build public housing in its predominantly white neighborhoods.

Spallone was one of four council members held in contempt of court in 1988 for refusing to vote for the housing ordinance the city had agreed to adopt. He challenged the personal fines imposed on him, and in Spallone v. United States (1990) the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 5–4 that the trial judge had abused his discretion by sanctioning individual legislators before testing whether sanctions against the city alone would secure compliance.

Early life and career Spallone was born in the Bronx. He served in the United States Army during World War II, stationed in Germany, and afterwards joined the New York City Police Department, retiring as a detective. He later settled in Yonkers and entered local politics, winning election to the Yonkers City Council. With the city's daily penalty approaching $1 million, the council adopted the affordable housing ordinance on September 9, 1988 by a vote of 5 to 2; Spallone voted against it.