Significant Monetary Penalty on Climate Denial
Throughout 2016, my colleagues in local government rejected known obligations to keep a clean environment, instead opting to protect pollution in our waterways through Washington-style gridlock. Climate deniers on the Council and Comptroller’s Office tried to assure the people of Mount Vernon that they had nothing to worry about; that raw sewage leaking into basements and stores was normal; and that the Environmental Protection Agency’s consent decree was merely a suggestion not an order that past administrations failed to heed.
This week, the chickens have come home to roost. The Department of Justice has stepped in and informed the city that a lawsuit for violating the Clean Water Act since 2003 is imminent. Comptroller Maureen Walker and the City Council deliberately defied numerous warnings from our administration about the threat of monetary penalties for neglecting our infrastructure. The Department of Justice had to step in and force the obstructionists to simply start working with us 18 months into my tenure as Mayor. My agenda has never changed. Fix the broken system. Fix Memorial Field, and fix our broken infrastructure. This includes cleaning up our waterways, restoring our parks, and protecting the people we were elected to serve.
It is shameful that provincial politics has put Mount Vernon taxpayers on the hook for potentially millions in penalties. This costly situation was avoidable had Comptroller Walker and the City Council decided to put the people of Mount Vernon over their petty politics. As the Department of Justice wrote, this will result in a “significant monetary penalty” which likely translates into a significant property tax increase.
The truth is, the City of Mount Vernon had numerous opportunities to fix our broken system; to fix our sewers; and to avoid extra costs. But we were told NO! Comptroller Maureen Walker and the City Council repeatedly rejected progress. They said we didn’t have the money, meanwhile we did. Instead of working with us, they worked against us by un-funding various roles in our administration including Police Commissioner. Instead of approving $2 million to work on the sewers; the Council and Comptroller found ways to keep Ernie Davis’ pet projects well-funded.
Mount Vernon — I will not stop fighting a good fight to keep the avoidable costs from crippling our city. The days of alternative facts and self-interest shell games must come to an end because it is now costing us more than we can afford. Yet Councilman Wallace says, “We are not going to pay.” This is outrageous. Dozens of homes and countless businesses are affected by the failure of some elected officials to invest in and maintain Mount Vernon. And still the Comptroller and Council is in denial. Worse, we were told by the Department of Justice they had to stop Councilman Andre Wallace from trying to circumvent the legal process.
Our residents suffer from high taxes and any additional burden is simply unacceptable. The facts are clear. Gridlock and political animus are jeopardizing our future and Comptroller Walker and the City Council, particularly Marcus Griffith and Andre Wallace, must be held accountable for the consequences and their contributions to this environmental, and fiscal, crisis.
August 10, 2017 DOJ Press Conference
