TAX THREAT: FEDS DEMAND $3 MILLION BACK FROM PREVIOUS ADMIN “UNDOCUMENTED LOANS”
WHAT’S WRONG WITH MOUNT VERNON’S MONEY?
Dear Mount Vernon:
When I became Mayor in 2016, I was confronted by real threats to our fiscal future. They ranged from broken sewers, illegal dumping at Memorial Field, and millions in missing federal grant dollars.
Blowing the whistle on missing millions and revealing real political corruption has come at a dear price to my life. As we soldier forward, I need you to know that we will keep the faith and fight with all we got to defend the people of Mount Vernon. There is no reason for the people to pay the federal government $3,000,000 back because previous administrations failed to follow federal rules and their cronies who got the money are now ghost!
This translates into a 6% tax hike that the people will pay on just this batch of the previous administration’s “undocumented loans” at 1% with no payback until 2046. There is another $10 million outstanding that we must deal with soon.
Fresh out of NYU Stern business school, I believed that I could fashion new cost-efficient policy approaches to resolve these legacy political issues. Little did I know that the “Deep State” had a subsidiary called the “Deep City Council,” whose sole role was to say NO! to anything and everything as well as polarize anyone and everyone.
Never did I expect two members of the Council to break-in to City Hall and remove documents believed to be critical to the missing millions — but they did.
Never did I expect a former police commissioner to interfere with that investigation, altering and seeking the deletion of police reports — but it happened.
Never did I expect the City’s bank to LIE and call the police on me for asking questions about the city’s finances within normal business hours — but they did.
Never did I expect the Comptroller to shred the City Charter by unilaterally removing the Mayor and the Council President from signatory roles at the bank and for the bank to go along with it — but it happened.
Never did I expect to see basic government services shut, jeopardized, or subject to repossession — but it happened and is happening with copy machines, gas services being cut off, seniors without toilet paper at senior centers, and soon garbage may pile up again if our emergency garbage trucks are not voted on by the City Council or payment processed by the Comptroller.
I am not surprised that the people running for office (or terminated from my administration) who claim to have solutions were always a part of the problem.
As such, I did expect to be attacked by the lawyers because my tenure as Mayor has been about raising unsettling questions about the old guard who has put our financial lives and kids’ future at risk.
It was said that, “When two people argue it is hard to distinguish which is the fool.” This is why it is easy to get confused with the back and forth coming out of City Hall. To clear things up, the facts confirm that I am the only one with 5 court orders directing the City Council and Comptroller to stop obstructing progress because of their “political animus” and “sabotage.” I am also the only one who has been consistent on dealing with the substantive issues facing our future. And they are the only ones standing in the way.
I will continue to fight for what’s right and do my best to collect the missing millions from the cronies of the previous administration. It is a shame that the Deep State and Deep City Council are working in cahoots to conceal this truth; however, the reality is the people’s money was stolen and their secrets are no longer secret. Their only motive is to attempt to de-legitimize me; so that when doubts are raised about them and their role in covering up the “Missing Millions” you don’t know who to believe.
Believe the facts and know the truth is the truth. The federal government is going after the City of Mount Vernon for the “Missing Millions” and as Mayor I am going to continue doing everything in my power to get the money back from those who took it before I got here! We must stop this tax threat that some current and former city officials tried to cover up on behalf of the old political guard.
My hope and prayer for Mount Vernon is that we stay strong, stay together, stare clear through the vortex of deception by continuing to take up the challenge of transforming Mount Vernon from within and defend it from those trying to run us out!
Sincerely,
Mayor Richard Thomas
