Mount Vernon’s Unarmed Truth — Follow the Money & Make it Better
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant,” said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with Mount Vernon’s very own Rev. Richard H. Dixon in Oslo, Norway, in 1964.
Dr. King taught us that to achieve our objectives, we must keep moving forward — no matter what. He often referred to the mountain and seeing the promised land from the mountain top. In his final speech, he reflected on the glory God gave for him to be part of the hard-fought victories for civil rights and human dignity.
I share Dr. King’s vision that, “unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.” His example teaches that advancing righteous causes is never wrong. Painful? Yes. Lonely at times? Yes. Necessary? absolutely — Yes!
The unarmed truth is that past administrations allowed Mount Vernon to be exploited by a small group of well-connected developers who received millions in “undocumented and uncollectable loans” amounting to at least $13 million. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently asked Mount Vernon taxpayers to pay back $3 million to the U.S. Treasury as a result of non-compliance issues at the La Porte project located at 203 Gramatan Avenue.
Another includes the loss of our Community Development Block Grant program in its entirety, resulting in paying HUD back $8 million. The CDBG program is an annual allocation of $2.4 million from HUD. The monies are meant to help the most vulnerable populations including seniors. For example, CDBG funds can be used to fund a community garden or a FREE employment-skills classes for people that want to work but cannot afford to pay for training.
These situations remind us of Mount Vernon’s loss of its Housing Authority in 2007. These current threats represent massive property tax hikes and significant harm to vulnerable populations.
It is obvious that we cannot afford millions in dead-weight expenses. We have until early fall before HUD decides and this is a large part of the reason why I am fighting to stay so my administration can help avoid these long-term losses by turning them into long-term community gains.
The unconditional love remains on display as my administration and I work to go after those that (wrongfully) got millions of federal tax dollars — the people’s money — and make them pay for the heist. Our unconditional love is deeply rooted in the effort to remove the illegal debris dumped at Memorial Field, where a State Supreme Court Judge ordered the City Council and Comptroller to stop obstructing my administration. The fact is our unconditional love is under attack for following the money to the depths of New York’s political monarchy, discovering that there are other liabilities lurking in the midst.
Maybe my young age is prompting me to ask some silly questions like: Who got the millions in federal tax dollars? Who really benefited? Why are Mount Vernon taxpayers being asked to foot the bill?
Age aside, it is my belief that these are the right questions to ask, get answers to, and insist that systemic corrective actions be taken without delay. This ought to happen especially since the end of state and local tax deductions over $10,000 on properties. That means if you pay $17,000 in property taxes in Mount Vernon… you can no longer deduct $7,000 of that $17,000 from your overall income to lower your taxes.
I admit that I get disappointed when thoughts of a systemic setup to gentrify Mount Vernon creep in; however, I remain prayerful that the people and the next administration will rally to secure sound policies to preserve Mount Vernon’s boundless future for ordinary people that are here now.
The bottom line is, in good conscience, I can’t allow an abrupt seizure of power because there is significant work being finalized between now and September 30 to facilitate a transition that is gradual, orderly and proper. Without that, we run the risk of exposing the taxpayers to serious socio-economic consequences and avoidable property tax hikes.
Under a July 8 agreement with the Attorney General and the state Supreme Court, state officials agreed to allow me to stay in office until the end of September so that my administration can conclude pending municipal agreements and prepare for a smooth transition. As this agreement is being challenged by an obstructive City Council, I trust that God is in control and will ultimately end the problems inherent in Mount Vernon’s politics so the meek inherit a better, more policy-oriented Mount Vernon for years to come.
So, we’re back at state Supreme Court and I’m making a final, reasonable request with an easy-to-understand analogy: You can’t land an airplane like a helicopter. I’m flying a plane that needs time to reduce altitude and touch down in an orderly fashion. Then we need to deplane and prepare for the next flight.
That’s what this court hearing is about: an orderly and civil handover. Not an abrupt takeover. Mount Vernon’s residents deserve better, and that’s what we’re attempting to give them.
