Mayor Thomas’ response to City Council’s attempt to stop progress at Memorial Field

“The City Council is simply against Mount Vernon. They are against Memorial Field being fixed. They are against roads being re-paved. They are against anything that will move Mount Vernon forward. They will do anything to stop progress in Mount Vernon and this is another example of their attempt to stop me from keeping my promises to Mount Vernon. Crime is down 32 percent. Property values are rising. The MTA bridges are being replaced. Quality of life has improved. Memorial Field is finally under construction and on schedule to return this year with 6 to 8 tennis courts, an 8-lane track, and an extra-large field for football, soccer, lacrosse and more.

The work underway at Memorial Field is in compliance with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation order to properly remediate the illegal debris dumped on Mount Vernon by Ernie Davis in a handshake deal with unknown people. Millions in wasteful spending was authorized by former Comptroller Maureen Walker, with the most egregious example of $1.2 million spent on demolition work that never occurred.

The contradictory Council is reneging on their obligation to protect our taxpayers. They refused to listen to our business plan to transform Memorial Field into a jobs-creator and revenue-generator for the region. All work being done is into compliance with state environmental regulations and with County-related objectives. We are confident the court will back our action to continue the hard work of moving Mount Vernon forward.”