Mt. Vernon City Council Votes ‘No Faith’
By Dan Murphy
The Mount Vernon City Council voted last week to permit Westchester County to rebuild Memorial Field, which has sat rotting and abandoned for the last six xxxxx years. The 4-0 vote by the council is basically an act of no faith in Mt. Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas, and his on-again-off-again plans to rebuild the legendary stadium and track.
“We feel that the mayor is not capable of the task,” said Councilman Andre Wallace after the vote.
The county legislator representing Mt. Vernon, Lyndon Williams, who has been trying to help get Memorial Field rebuilt and funded by the county for years, and Legislator David Tubiolo, worked with County Executive George Latimer to have the county accept the takeover from the City of Mt. Vernon.
“It is time for Memorial Field to be restored and to be enjoyed by the people of Mt. Vernon again,” said Latimer. “The county legislators that represent the city are the ones that initially asked for the county to step in. I am pleased that the Mt. Vernon City Council passed a resolution to turn over the renovation of the field to the county. We are perfectly prepared to go in and get the work done. Memorial Field is an iconic field with a rich history, and we intend to get the job done and give it back to the people of Mt. Vernon.”
The county would return to a plan agreed on in 2008, which allocated $12.7 million, mostly county money, to rebuild Memorial Field. That project was delayed and sidetracked during the reign of former Mayor Ernie Davis, who, according to published reports, used the county money to construct a tennis bubble at the site. County government then withheld $6 million of its funds for the project, and while the privately-owned tennis bubble still stands, the field has crumbled and now has illegal dumping on the site that will need to be remediated.
Latimer added: “There’s serious county money in this; we’re going to work off the agreement that’s still in place… The time for decisions and debate is over. I want to see this thing get done.”
But the county will have to work with Mt. Vernon City Hall, and Thomas’ administration, before any real work on construction can begin. Thomas, after more than a year of just talk, has started to move on Memorial Field’s demolition and reconstruction lately, demolishing the grandstands and removing the tennis bubble.
The tennis bubble at Memorial Field, while popular, must come down to make room for the new field and track, as there is not enough space for both. Thomas’ decision to remove the grandstand and the field has resulted in some backlash, including the council’s move to pass a resolution calling on the county to take over.
Thomas said taking back the tennis center was “a necessary and critical” part of rebuilding Memorial Field – a longstanding political football in the city.
Thomas has sued contractors and prior administrations over the loss of tax dollars and squandered xxxxxxx at the field.
“The goal is a new, better-than-before Memorial Field,” said Thomas. “A multi-purpose complex with a regulation, eight-lane track, tennis courts and a field that will accommodate football, soccer, lacrosse, as well as concerts and other activities.”
Last month, Thomas was indicted for illegal use of campaign funds.
The City Council and former Mayor Davis claim that Thomas took down the tennis bubble and grandstands without following procedure or seeking any approvals first.
“What we’re looking at is not having the mayor, who is out of control, derail and damage Memorial Field while he’s under investigation,” said Councilman Wallace. “We’re very concerned with that.”
Thomas issued the following statement after the council vote for the county takeover:
“We are transforming Memorial Field into a destination for sports, competition, and families again. The process involves removing both the dirty dirt and tenants that refuse to pay back-rent amounting to more than hundreds of thousands. These costs are unacceptable to our taxpayers and children who were disinherited when the field shut a decade ago. The City Council is clearly not thinking with a business mindset, but a political one. They ought to be concerned about their obligations to defend the taxpayer and create a better future rather than living in a past of broken politics and promises. They ought to stop ducking the tough issues of holding Ernie Davis and Maureen Walker accountable for squandering millions at the field with nothing to show. They, like County Executive George Latimer, should join the call for District Attorney Anthony Scarpino to investigate if laws were broken, tax dollars stolen, and how illegal debris wound up at our park. The decision to evict the tennis operator liberates the city to find a responsible party that will pay their fair share for using our public space. As I pledged, we will give Mount Vernon back a bigger, better, revenue-generating Memorial Field no matter what is in the way.”
While we welcome a county takeover of Memorial Field, there are many roadblocks before any work can begin. The first step may be, once and for all, to finally determine, how the original $7 million in county funds for the field 10 years ago were used. Perhaps Scarpino’s office is best suited to answer that question for the taxpayers of Westchester.
Then the field needs to be cleaned of contaminated debris, and then work can begin – but only with the consent of all of Mt. Vernon city government.
