Building a more productive and safer Mount Vernon
No place to park and no place to shop. No place to shop means no place to work. No place to work means no jobs. No jobs results in “idle hands becoming the devil’s playground” for the jobless, hopeless. The City of Mount Vernon is looking to reverse this troubled situation. Taking back our streets, cleaning up grime, and positioning the city to achieve an economic breakthrough are some of the steps we are taking with the new government to create jobs for the future.
Mount Vernon finally has a chance to rise from the rubble at Memorial Field. We are optimistic that the obstructionism and political games that have thwarted the city’s progress are finally over. The new government appears ready to work and has indicated that they are serious about realizing the new vision to move Mount Vernon forward.
This past week, fifteen new probationary officers joined our Mount Vernon Police Department returning the force numbers to above 200 for the first time since the dramatic budget cuts imposed by the previous administration. The new City Council and Comptroller are also supportive of funding public safety. Shawn Harris, a Mount Vernon native son and Iraq war veteran, has taken the helm as Police Commissioner and will continue to lead our march toward justice as a safer city.
However, there’s still a lot of work to do and challenges to address. For example: parking. The recent snow storm highlighted just how challenging parking is in the City of Mount Vernon. We haven’t even created a parking space since 1987. The good news is, we are in talks with the City Council and they have indicated that they are open to reestablishing a Parking Authority for the city. A Parking Authority means we can build new parking garages and increase convenience of patronizing our shops, restaurants, and conducting business in the city. We can also better provide permits for residents to park when they return home from work or implement progressive pricing to command the right level of revenues for high demand spaces. We are also developing plans for a ferry to travel from Mount Vernon’s port behind Target to City Island and eventually Oyster Bay!
Other communities have demolished and rebuilt their parking facilities to further their growth. This is a key part of the economic development process. While we have created jobs and brought businesses back to Mount Vernon, we must create parking spaces for them, their customers and employees to park so they can be productive. We cannot fully activate our economy unless we make these changes.
The challenges we face in transforming parking in the City of Mount Vernon are not a curse or a burden. This is a promising sign that Mount Vernon is once again on the rise, and consistent growth is leading to this need to create parking structures. The trick is, the two are directly linked. As the economy grows, the need for investments like parking will increase, but if that need is not satisfied, the growth will stall, and the engines that drive Mount Vernon forward will stop running.
We’re continuing to make Mount Vernon work for you. Restoring the police force to appropriate staffing levels and filling the role of police commissioner are the first steps toward strengthening safety. Cleaning up our waterways for both recreation and commerce and working to bring back the Mount Vernon Parking Authority will support jobs growth and give good people good jobs for the future. This will reduce the burden on property taxes and is just the beginning of what this new cohesive government can accomplish together. Contact us at 914–665–2361 to learn how you can help the city and participate in implementing strategic plans to reclaim our status as “Money Earnin’ Mount Vernon!”
Originally Published in Westchester County Press — January 9, 2018
