Mayor Richard Thomas 2018 State of the City Address
Good evening.
It is my honor and pleasure to address the people of Mount Vernon tonight to tell them about the “state of our city,” which is strong.
City Council president Copeland; thank you for your introduction and thanks to all the members of the City Council for welcoming me tonight.
Before I get started, I would like to address the elephant in the room.
No, not the two Republicans who are here.
…..
Earlier this week, accusations were made by Attorney General Scheiderman against me.
Let me say right up front, the allegations are false.
They stem from campaign rules and regulations and have nothing to do with my duties as mayor, and nothing to do with how I have conducted myself as mayor, since the people of Mount Vernon voted in 2015 for new ideas and a new direction by electing a 35-year old, lifelong native son from the south side of the city to move Mount Vernon forward.
You learn a lot when you run for mayor. One thing is how much our campaign finance laws are in need of reform. They are vague, confusing and contradictory.
It is always my intention to do what is legal and ethical.
Throughout the campaign I was advised by counsel, so I am confidant when this is all sorted out that I will be fully vindicated.
I have great confidence in our legal system, and have no doubt that I will be proven innocent and my campaign in full compliance.
I encourage people to work within the system. From our seniors to our kids, if you see things that are wrong, I encourage you to speak up and bring your concerns to those with the responsibility to fix them, whether it is me, or Attorney General Schneiderman. Have faith in the system. I do, and I want what is best for Mount Vernon.
So with that, let me tell you how the city is responding to the needs of our residents and how I will continue to govern as Mayor.
….
My goal within the next hour is to tell you how Mount Vernon is moving forward.
Let me start by talking about the compass we are using to move forward. Mount Vernon is only four-square miles, but it is a tricky place to navigate. Standard GPS won’t get the job done.
You need a compass that tells you that you are working on right things — the things that mean the most to the 70,000 people who proudly call Mount Vernon home.
Our compass has five guideposts.
We call them the Five Cs.
They are:
· Community,
· Competence,
· Communication,
· Compassion, and
· Capital.
Community encompasses all the actions we take to enhance the quality of life within our city.
Competence focuses on delivering services that are affordable, responsive and effective.
Communication keeps the city informed and engaged.
Compassion is never forgetting that the business of government is raising people up, especially when they are most in need.
Capital covers the ideas and resources we use to invest in the future.
So let’s see how our “state of the city” measures up.
….
Nothing is more important to the quality of life of our community than public safety. Crime is public enemy number one.
The very good news is that Mount Vernon continues to grow safer.
Serious crime in the city is down a dramatic 32 percent since 2011.
And it is not just me saying it. The statistics are from the Police Department’s annual records.
Each week, the Mount Vernon Police Department tracks seven major crimes.
The results are published on my blog at medium.com/@MayorRichThomas so they are available for the public to see. This transparency let’s everyone track our progress.
The weekly reports are compiled into annual reports. Here are the results for 2017.
Across the seven major categories — all the bad stuff that can happen to people and property — crime has dropped 32 percent since 2011; down in every category.
Not only is the 32 percent drop dramatic; even more important it’s continuous.
· Crime is down 3 percent from 2016;
· Down 8 percent from 2015;
· Down 10 percent from 2014,
· Down 29 percent from 2013,
· Down 23 percent from 2012,
· And down 32 percent from 2011.
…
This is real progress — safer streets and neighborhoods.
The results were achieved by building a new era of trust between the police and the community.
And, it didn’t happen by accident
We have the right leadership in place.
In January, after a nationwide search and on the recommendation of our citizens’ group, Commissioner Shawn Harris — born and raised here to become one of Mount Vernon’s finest — was permanently installed in our top police post.
Other leadership appointments were made as well. Good policing requires the right fit with the community, and we have that in Mount Vernon.
…
We also have strong management practices in place.
For example, each week I meet with the Commissioner and top brass to review from top to bottom what went down, and what we can do to improve, and our rank and file officers receive continuous training.
And, we have the right partnerships in place. These partners include the FBI, the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol Firearms and Tobacco, the NYPD, the MTA Police, state and county police and the District Attorney.
It is through these partnerships that we greatly leverage our capabilities to catch, convict and incarcerate.
Another key partner is the Mount Vernon school district. No initiative is more important than our School Resource Officer Program, where men and women from our police department serve as protectors, role models, and maybe most important — friends — to our children.
Our outreach also includes the police department’s Community Immersion and Coffee With a Cop programs, both focused on knocking down barriers and promoting dialogue.
No safety shield is greater than the two-way trust between the community and our police officers.
…
And, moving into 2018, the city’s crime-fighting capabilities will get a major boost from 15 new officers.
The overall result is a safer Mount Vernon for our kids and families.
So thanks to our police department and our law enforcement partners for making Mount Vernon safer.
…
It is no accident that as crime has gone down; property values have gone up.
Call it the safety dividend.
Look at the numbers.
The median price of a single-family home in Mount Vernon as of January was $400,000. That’s up from $365,000 a year ago; a gain of almost 10 percent.
Condo prices are up over 25 percent in the last year; rising from $185,000 to $234,000.
Co-ops posted a 2 percent increase from $98,000 to $100,000.
And, there is more good news for homeowners. The number of homes on the market is shrinking … and that pushes prices up.
Homeowners are receiving 95 percent of their asking prices. This speaks directly to the desirability of Mount Vernon as a place to live
Safety catalyzes quality of life, and quality life sends property values higher.
The Mount Vernon community is on the rise.
…
Let’s turn to competence.
Just like fighting crime is a team sport, so is running government.
This year, Mount Vernon has a new team on the field.
We have a new Comptroller, Deborah Reynolds.
A new City Council President, Lisa Copeland.
And two new City Council members, Janice Duarte and Delia Farquharson, who join our incumbents Marcus Griffith and Andre Wallace.
…..
As elected officials, the people of Mount Vernon have placed their faith in us to manage their city.
It is our responsibility to ensure that each tax dollar returns the highest value.
As mayor, it is my job to set the mission and vision.
The comptroller and council provide insight and oversight.
Through dialogue, we move forward.
Dialogue can include disagreement, and let’s be real, nobody brings more passion to disagreement than Mount Vernon. And that’s ok.
It shows we care enough to get in the arena.
But, we can’t allow our passion to paralyze us. The antidote is collaboration.
In January, I sent the Council a list of initiatives for us to move forward on, together.
On the top of the list is the cable TV contract.
This is a no brainer, because everyone wins.
The new cable TV contract will:
· Pay the city $1 million annually,
· Lower bills for residents, especially seniors,
· Increase Internet speeds and eliminate data caps, and
· Provide public access broadcasting from City Hall.
I am ready and eager to assist the Council in getting the cable contract signed. The emphasis is on eager.
What are we waiting for?
That’s the question that I get asked every time I go to the Dole Center.
The time is now to give the people of Mount Vernon a cable contract.
…
I am also looking forward to working with the Council on a new comprehensive plan.
The city’s development potential has never been greater.
But smart and strategic development requires a blue print.
At its heart, the comprehensive plan will balance the many and varied needs of our city. It will ensure fairness, protect integrity, create transparency, speed results and demonstrate professionalism.
A comprehensive plan also makes it easier to protect the city in the case of emergencies.
Con Edison gets an epic fail for the way it managed the recent power outages from earlier this month. It is time for Con Edison to put its electrical wires underground.
This is the 21st century. The age of the telephone pole is over. Con Edison must move into the 21st century. A comprehensive plan will speed the transition.
I am asking leaders in the community for their input and help.
Again, I stand ready in any way to help the Comptroller and City Council produce a document that preserves our proud past and gives our people the future they want in the decades ahead.
….
Part of competence is compliance.
As the eighth largest city in New York State, Mount Vernon has obligations that it must meet every day in order to protect the health, safety and financial wellbeing of our residents.
For too many years, Mount Vernon treated too many of these obligations as options. Government is not a restaurant menu, where you get to pick and choose and only pay for the things you like.
As the chief elected officer of the city, I can tell you Mount Vernon must deliver on all its financial, legal and environmental obligations. Many of my conversations with the Comptroller and City Council members since January have been around understanding the consequences of the city’s actions and inactions.
On three of our most delayed obligations, progress is being made.
A top-to-bottom audit of our Urban Renewal Agency is underway to sort through years of mismanagement. Things were so bad that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Renewal had threatened to cut off our Community Development Block Grants. It can’t be overstated how critical CDBG funds are to Mount Vernon.
This money fills gaps to help pay for after school programs for our kids, meals on wheels for our seniors, and much more in between. Just a couple of weeks ago, the City Council chamber was packed with advocates seeking CDBG funds to stretch their programs.
Even with the millions from the federal government, there is never enough funding to meet the demand. But take away the CDBG money, and we have a full-out disaster.
In recent months, because of our good faith efforts to fix what’s broken, promote transparency and be good stewards of public money, HUD has agreed to keep funds flowing during the audit.
Once the audit results are in, Mount Vernon will take the steps necessary to bring the Urban Renewal Agency into full compliance. We believe that money is owed to the city, or may have been misused, and we must get to the bottom it.
There’s no option here.
Only compliance will ensure the future flow of CDBG funding.
We will keep you posted. This year’s grant awards will be announced in late spring.
…
We are also making progress on our sewers. In November of last year, our DPW started work on sewers around the Third Street Bridge near the Hutchinson River to bring them into compliance with state and federal environmental standards.
I am pleased to report that the modernization project to lay 2,000 feet of new 24-inch pipe is already complete. Working with the state Department of Transportation, we finished the project in half the time expected at half the cost, saving about $1 million.
That’s delivering real results. And there is more.
….
In January — using everything from brooms and shovels to giant front-end loaders — the DPW began its cleanup of its yard off Sandford Boulevard. Again, this was to fulfill a consent agreement to comply with environmental standards.
The result will be transformative. A garage, gas tanks, parking lot, and salt sheds sprawled across 20 acres will be consolidated on two, with the remaining land reopened as part of Mount Vernon Shores, a park with ball fields; jogging and bike paths that will extend up to Willson’s Woods pool and beyond; and boat access to the Hutchinson River.
Years of inaction are finally being replaced with action. It has taken 14 years, but the rethinking, repositioning and rejuvenating of Mount Vernon’s waterfront is underway….
There will even be sand.
This sand is from Montego Bay, a gift from Jamaica’s Prime Minister, and more will follow. Jamaica, Barbados and Anguilla have all pledged sand for Mount Vernon Shores and the sandboxes in our parks as a way planting island culture throughout the city.
The prospects are exciting, and the public will be part of each step of this renaissance.
…
Frankly, one of the reasons Mount Vernon has had compliance issues in the past is that our approach to governing has had only one speed — crisis management.
It’s time to get the city on a more normal footing; with a firmer financial foundation.
Take a look.
…
…
We are working together. Serious talks are underway with the Comptroller and City Council to fund — from the city budget, and move away from reliance on the IDA. With the hiring of competent housing and building inspectors, we can have a department that can do its job without outside help.
This is essential if Mount Vernon is to build back its reputation, as a place where timetables are met and enforcement is objective and consistent.
Without a firm financial foundation underneath our departments, we can’t expect to break the cycle of perpetual crisis management. Good old, boring, regular management is how we deliver steady, competent government.
….
Communication flows naturally from competent government, and one of our fundamental obligations is to keep people informed.
To get the word out from City Hall, we have activated a number of resources.
The easiest way to stay informed is to read our Weekly Report.
It is a summary of the highlights of the week and it is packaged in an easy to read format with headlines, pictures and links to articles and videos. It appears on the home page of the city’s website at cmvny.com under the banner “Mayor’s Weekly Reports.” Or better yet, you can get your own copy sent to you automatically in an email each week by becoming a subscriber. Just hit the subscribe link at the top of the report. It’s that easy.
For more immediate news, you can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Although, it may not be the newest technology, radio is a mainstay communication tool for us.
Tuesday mornings at 7:30 and Friday afternoon’s at 5 you can listen and talk to me on WVOX 1460 on the AM dial. Throughout the week, I visit other local stations as well. Communication works best when it is two-way, and radio is a way that allows us to give and get feedback in real time.
And for those who like to write, you can always send a note to mayorthomas@cmvny.com.
By staying in touch, you let us know whether the city is being responsive to your needs and if we are working on the things that are most important to you.
….
Government exists because our collective strength is greater than that of any one individual. How well our government protects the most vulnerable among us is how we measure ourselves as a society.
Mount Vernon is tested every day. One area where the need is great is hunger.
In our country and city, there are people that go hungry.
In Mount Vernon, almost 25 percent of our residents don’t always know where their next meal is coming from. The gap comes to three million meals a year.
Here’s how we are filling it.
….
Governments don’t have feelings and hearts. But people do. There is no better example how people can partner with government to show compassion than our food pantry program.
One more point. In addition to the pantry, we deliver meals daily to the homes of more than 140 seniors.
We are putting a big dent in hunger in Mount Vernon.
….
Investing our capital wisely is how we insure the future of Mount Vernon for all our residents. Put the right ideas together with enough money and people will be knocking on the door.
Mount Vernon’s growth prospects have never been greater.
Affordability and accessibility make Mount Vernon a prime target for transit-oriented development.
Our costs are much cheaper than in New York City. Rents and taxes are both lower.
And, Mount Vernon is a gateway to anywhere goods or people need to get. No other municipality in Westchester has three Metro North train stations, and such easy access to subways, buses, and high ways.
Affordability and accessibility create value, and this is exactly what millennials, entrepreneurs, artists, empty nesters, and small manufacturers are looking for.
….
Attracting investment requires partnerships, especially in an older, urban city like Mount Vernon.
This is where our Industrial Development Agency, whose prime role is to safeguard and invigorate our local economy, comes into play.
Make no mistake, plenty of Mount Vernon is doing just fine. Just last week, the New York Times real estate section had a story calling us a “hidden paradise.”
In fact, all around the city, people come up to me constantly and say: “Mr. Mayor. Leave us alone. We don’t need development. We’ve already got too much traffic.”
Believe me, I hear you.
…
But other parts of the city are starving for investment; desperate for revitalization.
The challenge is that in the places where investment is needed most — the streets with zombie buildings and boarded up store fronts — attracting capital is the most difficult.
The reason is no secret. Developers are good at arithmetic.
To stay in stay in business, they need to make money. Distressed properties are risky investments. If the numbers don’t work, they stay away.
That’s where the IDA comes in. The IDA can provide financial incentives to make the numbers work for developers.
The most common incentives are called PILOTs or Payments in Lieu of Taxes.
Not everyone is a fan of PILOTS,
Critics like the school district argue that the city, which struggles to make ends meet, should not give tax breaks to anyone … and certainly not developers.
But let me explain why PILOTs are vital to the growth of Mount Vernon.
First, they are not giveaways. Every tax break must be justified. The IDA does that by engaging third-party experts to ensure that the cost of any incentives will be far outweighed by the long-term economic benefits they generate.
What’s not helpful is costly litigation between the city and the school district; which is nothing more than our residents suing themselves. This makes no sense.
The answer is not to make lawyers rich, but for the city and school district to work together against our common enemy: economic stagnation.
Fact: the bills to run city and its schools never get smaller.
Fact: taxpayers are already overburdened.
Fact: Sustaining services requires new sources of revenue.
In short, if we don’t grow, we perish.
…
I am proud to say, we are growing. Evidence is all around us.
Companies are investing capital and creating jobs.
· Ace Natural, a leading distributor of organic foods, will be moving more than 40 jobs to Mount Vernon and investing millions of dollars in its new location on East Sandford Boulevard.
· 22 South West Street is a mixed-use development for 4,000-square feet of retail space and 189 apartments — 159 affordable and 30 market rate — adjacent to the Mount Vernon West Metro North train station.
· The Enclave is a five-building development along MacQuesten Parkway across the street from the Fleetwood Metro North train station that will house 179 market-rate apartments.
· 42 Broad Street West is the city’s first luxury apartment complex in decades, and it will create 249 market rate units and enhance the Fleetwood parking garage.
To the developers behind these projects, thank you for your business and your faith and confidence in Mount Vernon.
….
One project that needs to move forward is Library Square.
The idea is to create a downtown, transit-oriented arts district on the South Side, around the library and the old YMCA and a short walk from the Mount Vernon East Metro-North train station.
The anchor will be a 320-unit complex with market and affordable apartments built on the site of the old YMCA. The new building will feature state-of-the-art green technology and include small shops selling goods and services of artists living in the building. There will also be performance, rehearsal and display space for music, dance and the arts. As a way of paying for the rent subsidies, tenants, and this is geared particularly toward artists, can turn their skills into hours of community service.
This is a project that will infuse the neighborhood with a hip and youthful vibe and inject new dollars into the local community. With great success, the developer brought this very concept to Harlem.
Now we need to bring it to Mount Vernon.
The project is before the City Council. My strong plea is that the Council move forward quickly on the necessary rezoning and the $1.2 million sale of the Y.
Perform the due diligence. But remember, time is money. Business people don’t operate on government time.
…
Financial capital is not our only focus. We are also looking to attract and develop intellectual capital, especially with respect our youth.
One initiative is the Mayor’s Scholarship Program, which gives $2,000 a year to students in two and four-year colleges as well as vocational schools. This year’s scholarships are double the amount from last year and confirm the city’s commitment to educating our youth across all the fields they chose to pursue.
To encourage scholarship, the Youth Bureau has after school programs in 12 city schools. STEAM Academies for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math Academies are just one offering.
And when summer comes, the Youth Bureau helps kids find jobs. Applications are available in all middle and high schools as well as the city’s Website.
This summer, our Recreation Department will serve more than 500 of our kids in three summer camps.
In addition, our youth sports programs provide year-round activities. Right now its time to sign up for baseball.
And the fun is not just limited to kids.
Get ready for the UniverSoul Circus in May, which attracted 10,000 patrons last year, and CityFest, in September, which drew more than 15,000… and, we will have the Annual Pumpkin Blaze once again this fall.
….
No State of the City of Mount Vernon Address can end without a discussion of Memorial Field.
Memorial Field is iconic.
The Jackson Five.
Mean Joe Green.
Legendary high school sports rivalries. For generations, Memorial Field has been one of the greatest memory generators, not just for our city, but for all of Westchester County.
It’s also a place where character is built. Great athletes and wanna-grow-up to be great athletes, like our Razorbacks, have all learned the lessons of winning, losing and sportsmanship on Memorial Field, whose fabric defines Mount Vernon pride.
…
Sadly, for far too long — for an unconscionable length of time — the gates of Memorial Field have been locked.
It’s nice to see that the Journal News recently called for an investigation. Better late than never. Whether outright fraud or fiasco of the century, it is important to unlock the truth. That will take time.
My commitment is immediate.
Memorial Field will reopen this summer.
Let’s repeat that.
Memorial Field will reopen this summer.
….
Our plan is to have grass fields and a track open to the public this summer.
A final design will take more time. But while the planners, accountants, lawyers and regulators sort that all out; there is no good reason for Memorial Field not to be open this summer.
Memorial Field will reopen this summer because it must.
We owe it to our city’s kids, parents and grandparents.
It’s time to restore our legacy.
It’s time to introduce a new generation to Memorial Field.
Future Hall of Famers from the Razorbacks are here tonight, and we can’t say no them.
I also need to thank Commissioner Nigro and his team for everything they are doing to get Memorial Field ready, all the work they are doing to transform the DPW yard and everything they do each day to keep streets clean, the lights on, and parks open.
See you all on Memorial Field is this summer.
…
[Banner with the Five C’s]
We end tonight, where we began, with:
· Community
· Competence
· Communication
· Compassion, and
· Capital.
These Five C’s will keep us moving forward.
Our progress will not go unchallenged. But, it will not be stopped.
These five navigational stars will keep us focused on what is most important to the people of Mount Vernon … and that’s why we are here — to give the people of Mount Vernon the city they want, the city they deserve and the city they can be proud of everyday.
On behalf of everyone at City Hall, I want to say it is an honor to serve.
Working together, we can’t be stopped.
Working together, we can secure a better future.
Working together, we will MOVE MOUNT VERNON FORWARD.
Thank you and good night.
