Mayor Richard Thomas Weekly Report for September 2, 2017
Dear Mount Vernon Friends and Family -
As many of you may have heard, ten employees of the Mount Vernon Urban Renewal Agency were furloughed this week due to the lack of federal funding (and city) for the positions. Many of these individuals worked for the Agency for decades and made a positive impact on the community. Unfortunately, the Agency’s financial challenges, caused by past mismanagement and misdeeds, have left us with no alternative.
Federal grants come with strict guidelines and failing to adhere to these guidelines has serious consequencesover the summer, we learned that the Agency had been out of compliance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development since 2010. Richard Frankel, Esq., former Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been appointed to investigate the records and operations of the Agency.
On Tuesday, August 15th, we presented a resolution before the Board of Estimate and Contract that would have funded the jobs and saved these employees but Comptroller Maureen Walker and City Council Roberta Apuzzo refused to even consider this job-saving measure. I remain hopeful that my colleagues in government — Comptroller Maureen Walker and the City Council — support these individuals and create jobs for them in the City of Mount Vernon.
Respectfully,
Mayor Richard Thomas
CLICK HERE AND SKIP TO THE 2:00 MARK TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THE AUGUST 15TH BOARD OF ESTIMATE AND CONTRACT MEETING.
Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayor’s Challenge Workshop
This week, Bloomberg Philanthropies came to Mount Vernon to host an Ideas Accelerator Workshop. Mayor Thomas was joined by Commissioners, senior staff, as well as Councilman Andre Wallace and select candidates for the city council, in a collaborative day where everyone rolled up their sleeves and got to work on the process of problem-solving. Mount Vernon faces challenges and opportunities that can only be addressed if we, as a city, work together to advance bold ideas and put forth transformative work,
Our time with Bloomberg Philanthropies has not come to an end. Our grants team is hard at work, participating in ongoing training sessions and webinars that will lead to a presentation and proposal in October. Bloomberg Philanthropies is focused on transformative leadership and government innovation and the city is honored to be partnering with them.
Microsoft Envision Conference
In late September, Mayor Thomas will travel to Orlando, Florida for the Microsoft Envision Conference. Mayor Thomas was asked to speak to businessmen and women from around the world and share how he is implementing cultural change in the city government.
Mayor Thomas will be joined by former First Lady Michelle Obama, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, GE Vice Chair Beth Comstock, and many other leaders. The conference is focused on helping organizations become industry leaders in their own digital transformations.
New Playground at Brush Park
Kids in Mount Vernon will have a new park as they head back to school. Thanks to the joint efforts of the City of Mount Vernon and the Mount Vernon Urban Renewal Agency to secure critical funding, the Department of Recreation purchased and installed the first phase of a new playground at Brush Park. This formerly “parkless” park has been revitalized with $250,000 of under-utilized public dollars allowing for the installation of modern equipment that is safe and engaging.
Mount Vernon Dog Park
The kids aren’t the only ones getting a new place to run and play. Mount Vernon is creating a dog park out of our over-grown and unused areas. The grassy area off of Devonia Avenue is being converted into the city’s only off leash dog park, giving our furry residents an open space where they can be free to run and play and our non-furry residents a space where they can enjoy their pets and enjoy the city’s green spaces. This is one of many abandoned parks that we are repurposing to make Mount Vernon more pet friendly. Fido deserves a safe place to play just like our kids do.
After-School Programs
Mayor Richard Thomas wants to know what you, parents and guardians, want from an after school program. Do your kids need more athletic opportunities? How about some arts and crafts? Or training in tech? Take our short survey to let us know what types of programs you want to see the City of Mount Vernon provide. The city will be actively working with the School District to provide a variety of after-school programs and we want to know what you need. Click here to take a short survey about your child’s after-school programs.
SAVE THE DATE!
Thursday, September 7th is the final workshop for the Canal Village Revitalization Project. This meeting will be spearheaded by Dover Kohl, the premier urban design firm that was selected to complete the project. This workshop is an opportunity for the public to provide input and comments for the City of Mount Vernon’s official submission to New York State.
This submission will be the official result of two grants the state gave to Mount Vernon to undergo transformative community planning and revitalization efforts. These efforts are specifically targeted to Canal Village — an industrial sector in the southeast section of the city. In addition to the September 7th workshop, you can view project updates at www.canalvillage.mysidewalk.com.
One-Year Anniversary of the Westchester Party Rental Fire
This past Friday marked a special anniversary in Mount Vernon. Last year, an intense fire burned through one of our premier local business’ Westchester Party Rental. To mark the date and celebrate the survival of this key Mount Vernon business, Fire Commissioner Teddy Beale and Deputy Commissioner Deborah Norman brought business owner Ben Fox a cake. Thanks to the efforts of the Mount Vernon Fire Department to battle the blaze, a prosperous Mount Vernon business was able to continue their operations and keep serving the community’s party rental needs.
Supporting businesses like Westchester Party Rental as they recover from a potentially-career ending event like last year’s fire is a priority of the administration. Ben Fox and his company were able to work with the newly-reinvigorated Mount Vernon IDA to get themselves back on track.
Congrats to Ben and his workforce and we are proud to have you as part of the Mount Vernon family.
Cracking Down on Over-weight Trucks
First it was contractors dumping concrete in our sewers who were busted and significantly penalized; now equally as bad, over-weight trucks destroy our roads and pose a serious threat to public safety. They were once tolerated and allowed to run amuck prior to the Thomas Administration. The road wreckers are finally being held accountable for the damage they cause. The City of Mount Vernon and the New York State Department on Transportation are working together to protect our roads and put truckers on notice. Mount Vernon, like many municipalities in Westchester County, has identifed key areas around town for safety checks, to ensure commercial truckers are in compliance while transporting in our city. Safety checks are essential because overweight trucks contribute significantly to wear and tear on our roads.
Listen to us live:
Every week, Mayor Thomas speaks to Yonkers Tribune radio with host Hezi Aris: Catch this week’s interview here for an unvarnished look at what’s happening in Mount Vernon: Mayor Thomas also hosts Mount Vernon Moving Forward every Friday on WVOX, from 5pm to 6pm. You can listen to this week’s show here for an in-depth discussion about the what’s going on in Mount Vernon. On the Internet, tune in to Future 98.9 every Wednesday at 8:30am to listen to Mayor Thomas and Minister P. Tyson. You can find past week’s interview here. On Tuesdays at 8am, you can hear Mayor Thomas on 104.5 Linkage Radio. Catch this week’s discussion here
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