SPECIAL UPDATE: ALL GARBAGE COLLECTED WITH 4 TRUCKS!!! CONGRATS TO DPW AND MOUNT VERNON FOR WORKING TOGETHER TO KEEP OUR BELOVED CITY CLEAN!!!
The Department of Public Works accomplished a major feat — they muscled up to collect over 500 tons of trash with just 4 garbage trucks in three days!!!
Stacked vertically, that is 34 miles high — virtually high enough to reach space! Stretched out, that is long enough to go from Mount Vernon to Peekskill, NY or Perth Amboy, NJ.
This tells us two things. One we have an AMAZING DPW team! Two, we must do something about how much trash we discard as a City to become more environmentally friendly. Bottom line: expect a real “Trash Talk” on what we will do to strengthen policies around waste.
BACK ON TRACK WITH TRASH COLLECTION
For now, the inconvenience of trash piling up is somewhat behind us as parts arrive to fix broken equipment and temporary garbage truck rentals fill the gap. We still must implement previously proposed plans (over the past four years) to get affordable and reliable equipment for the Department of Public Works. It will save us money, time and frustration.
We are resuming our normal trash collection schedule except for “Recycling.” ALL Recycling — Paper, Plastic, and Cardboard — should go out on Wednesday. If we see it out on the streets between Saturday and Wednesday, we will do our best to grab it to get it out of the way because we want a clean Mount Vernon just like you.
MOUNT VERNON PROUD!!! THANK YOU DPW!!!
I’ve never been prouder to see the Department come together to fix what’s broken.
Thank you for your patience and your understanding as we got some of the broken trucks back up.
Thank you to our vendors who dug deeper into their pockets to give us an extra emergency line of credit.
And when you see the men and women of the Mount Vernon Department of Public Works, please thank them for their extra hard work to muscle up to clean up Mount Vernon, conquering the health and safety crisis for the people!
A CRASH GOT EVERYONE’S ATTENTION
The truck that crashed into a house was the tipping point.
We thank God that no one was hurt or killed last Tuesday when the old, dirty garbage truck went wild.
A LONG TIME COMING
The situation with our failing equipment did not happen overnight, nor did we allow it to deteriorate without putting up a sound fight for the right level of investments into DPW and city operations since 2016.
We repeatedly asked for responsible investments to eradicate potholes, fix Memorial Field, re-build the MTA bridges, and strengthen city services. We were totally rejected year after year by an obstructionist City Council and Comptroller.
THE FACTS ARE THE FACTS: NO GAS, NO GO - NO PARTS NO FIX.
This is not blame… these are the facts. No gas in the tank, the car won’t go. The reality is that if there are no monies to fix the problem, then the problem simply gets worse and worse and more expensive.
The real question is why would the City Council and Comptroller decide to reject solving known problems? Or as Derickson Lawerence questions, why would they exacerbate problems?
KNOW MORE: REYNOLDS IS THE MAIN REASON WE ARE IN PARALYSIS
As you are aware the disruption of sanitation services is due to Comptroller Deborah Reynolds’ failure to pay outstanding invoices that date to the middle of last year. Without payment, the vendors that supply the City with repair parts have refused to deliver critical parts for the City’s sanitation trucks, resulting in the garbage-collection disruption.
Public Works Commissioner Mark Ederer has repeatedly brought the outstanding bills to her office’s attention, but his requests for payment have been ignored. She incorrectly claimed that the bills were never been brought to her office. Here is a link to a video showing that the unpaid bills were brought to her office: https://www.instagram.com/p/But7-_IjVcQ/
More troubling is that Comptroller Reynolds lashed out (with profanities) at a group of local ministers who sought to seek a solution to the payment problems she lied about and created. Here is a link to the unholy welcome Reynolds gave to faith leaders: https://www.facebook.com/bishopcnedwers/videos/1554798394655231/?t=146
MOUNT VERNON ABANDONED BY NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER DINAPOLI
Worse, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office abandoned Mount Vernon. He sent a team of auditors down and just when we thought the Calvary had come to help us get oversight and control over the out-of-control Comptroller… DiNapoli’s office ordered the auditors to leave Mount Vernon.
You should know that I, along with special counsel to the City, have asked for in-person meetings with Comptroller DiNapoli to explain why he and his office are looking the other way. Stranding us at a time when our sanitation operations were sabotaged, and our school children are still waiting for $31 million in funds from Comptroller Reynolds.
Please joins us in contacting State Comptroller DiNapoli’s office to ask (i) when will he meet with us and (ii) when will his office act to bring order in Comptroller Reynold’s office, exacting the necessary solutions with our administration to ensure city and school district services are no longer put in harms way.
