Editor’s note: A group of Mount Vernon residents from the group SaveOurCity rallied outside City Hall last week to call for improvements to their quality of life and changes to the elected officials they claim have turned the city in the wrong direction.
Most of the criticism is levied against Mayor Richard Thomas, who is now in his third year in office. Below is a letter from two Mt. Vernon residents whose names are at the bottom of the following letter, sent out before the rally:
“Here are a few issues (not all) that our city is plagued with – in addition, here are some solutions. Mayor Richard Thomas, again and again, shows us that rules don’t apply to him. A mayor is supposed to help make rules and then enforce them, but Mount Vernon mayor is someone who doesn’t think the rules apply to him or his administration.
“Thomas hired an unlicensed and now convicted contractor Michael Figueroa to illegally shut down a business and destroy its property. He has illegally shutdown up to four business in Mount Vernon.
“Thomas did not follow a set of clear precise campaign rules regarding his campaign finances. He’s accused of stealing thousands of dollars in campaign funds, and hiring people in a pay-to-play scheme. He is on trial as of today for grand larceny.
“Thomas has been misleading the public. He created this absurd lie that residents’ taxes will go up over 200 percent, and council hasn’t made any attempt to fix our sewers. The City Council is working diligently to keep our city sewers clean.
“Thomas has hired people that don’t reside within the city limits which is required in our City Charter. Ralph Uzzie, Joe Spiezo to name a few. Joseph Spiezo, who is our deputy police commissioner lives in Florida and works remotely.
“Thomas has partnered up with outside production companies to host programs without council authorization. Such as Slide The City, The Circus at Hutchinson Field. No permit was established. The Slide The City held the residents living in that area hostage because the streets were blocked off preventing them to leave their home. It ended up going down as the most disorganized event in city history.
“Thomas is also responsible for the shutdown and destruction of The Kela Tennis Court. This a crime that the mayor, along with Figueroa weren’t arrested for. They had no court order, no reason to be there. This particular brand of criminal behavior by this mayor is a cancer on our system of laws. Political corruption erodes the public’s trust in government and elected officials.
“Solution: A City Council vote to send a letter to Gov. (Andrew) Cuomo asking him to remove Thomas from office, especially after he refused to resign in the wake of this grand larceny charges, pay-to-play schemes and tearing down a business at 12 a.m. Council President Lisa Copeland promised she would send a letter to the governor, but never did.
“Follow the Charter: Mayor Thomas has consistently and deliberately ignored our City Charter. The “charter” is the governing document of the city; it establishes the framework within which the city governs itself. It defines the organization, power, functions and essential procedures and policies of the city’s political system; it establishes the authority and responsibilities of the city’s elected officials. It also lays down the basic structure of the city’s finances. It is a huge document on the city’s website. City Council has very little control over the mayor to prevent him from breaking the City Charter. This is why we are in the mess we are in. We need more control over our mayor and his actions to prevent further crimes and illegal actions in the city.
“Solution: Commission to Charter Change. Council would appoint a commission, which would conduct a top-to-bottom review of city government over 24 months; in light of the lessons learned over the past two decades and the new challenges and opportunities that have since arisen. The panel will include business, community members, sitting and former government officials, educators, and political operatives. Qualified people, no bias. They will then submit a list of changes to be voted on by the council and the public. Yes, I believe there is a referendum. This will change the powers and purviews of the mayor, and City Council.
“Public advocate or liaison between council and the public. City Hall needs to introduce legislation for the Office of the Public Advocate. A public advocate is an elected official whose responsibility is to make sure that people get fair treatment by their local government. New York City has had one since 1993. Bill de Blasio was public advocate before being elected mayor. If you have an issue with a city agency and they are ignoring your calls. Call the public advocate. If the city charged you a fine or given you an undeserved ticket. Call the public advocate. You see the city wasting money on methods that don’t produce results? Call your public advocate.
“Where is the Comprehensive Plan? Gentrification is moving into Mount Vernon. This administration has not put together a cohesive and strategic plan in place. The city has a strong parks and recreation program, but its priorities are in the wrong place. We should be focusing on Memorial Field, tennis court, and more activities for our youth – not building a beach, or sponsoring events that is financially benefiting the mayor’s pockets.
“Solution: City Council should draft the city’s Comprehensive Plan for the future. Plus, there needs to be more public input in its process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of community development.
“Unsolved murders: We have so many unsolved murders in this city. I don’t have the exact number, but one is more than enough. In fact, I know for sure two murders have yet to be solved – Wilbert Dennis and Brother Skeet. Yet, we are sending cops, as a cover for the mayor, to a cupcake shop, and tennis court for political games.
“Solution: Bring back the Major Case Squad and Gang Unit. Use the police to enforce the law, not break it. There is no communication from MVPD on social media. It’s important, especially in 2018 to connect online with the residents and business owners through social media. So we are proposing these solutions in an effort to move this city forward. Council must comply with our demands regarding the mayor, City Charter, improving the council’s relationship with residents and other matters within 60 days. There is a difference between oversight and giving orders. If you’re going to have a mayor, like Thomas, giving orders (like a dictator), then why have elected officials (council members) in municipalities in the first place?
“Meanwhile, the rats are still running rampant and garbage is still exposed. The city needs to be educating the public on how to dispose of their garbage, or giving out violations to the landlords that don’t follow the rules and regulations. I see no educational flyers out, no signs posted, there is no control. Those rat traps are a temporary fix, and not a permanent fix. What’s going to solve our problems is the community pulling together and challenging the City Council and mayor who have been making these bad decisions.
“The actions of this administration are beyond reprehensible, and we believe Mayor Richard Thomas should absolutely resign immediately. The mayor has been reckless, and this kind of behavior has no place in our city, let alone government.
“Here is a list of some of the mayor’s lawsuits that is costing this city millions of dollars.
“The Richard Thomas Trial: This is for the grand larceny charges. He was caught stealing money. He was indicted by a grand jury. He used the money for his own personal use, created no-show jobs, and had people pay off his credit card bill and tuition to get jobs, purchased a Chanel bag for someone.
“The Kela Tennis Court Trial: This is the $27 million lawsuit for the illegal shutdown and destruction of property by the mayor and convicted felon Michael Figueroa.
“The Memorial Field Trial: This was to request by City Council to a judge to place a temporary restraining order to stop him further destruction to Memorial Field.
“The Westchester County Trial: The county is now suing Mount Vernon for up to $2.2 million in missing funds. They also want control of the Memorial Field renovation, because they too don’t trust the mayor.
“Please take some time to join your fellow residents in effort to save our city. For more information on the upcoming rally check out the Facebook page.
“Thank you, Atif Coleman, Jesse Van Lew.”
