THE MOUNT VERNON WAY: THE GOOD FIGHT FOR URBAN RENEWAL
Malcolm X taught that our community must be the source of our own strength — politically, economically, intellectually and culturally in the struggle for human rights and dignity. This view is shared by countless change agents including Dr. Martin Luther King, Sojourner Truth, and former President Barack Obama. I too believe it is important to reinforce moral responsibility to rid Mount Vernon of the effects of years of neglect and apathy. We must wage an unrelenting struggle against political brutality.
Our ancestors struggled to obtain the right to vote, the right to organize, and the right to equal access to quality education. These rights were hard-earned with blood, sweat and trails of tears. Yet the opportunity to control our destiny has been largely squandered through mismanagement and serial campaigns of misinformation by small thinking democrats in Mount Vernon.
The issues of poverty, joblessness, homelessness, and hunger are largely handled by the Mount Vernon Urban Renewal Agency (URA). This organization levels the playing field for vulnerable populations and serves as a social safety net to affect social empowerment. It was designed to help the disenfranchised achieve the American Dream. Through job training or providing access to low interest loans or grants to fix boilers, repair the roof from leaking, or offer down-payment dollars for a new house, the URA fought for the people that needed it the most. It was meant to prescribe remedies to social ills like obesity, domestic violence, housing discrimination through the millions of grants it gave non-profit groups such as the Boys & Girls Club, Y-COP, Habitat for Humanity, My Sister’s Place, Mount Vernon Tenants United or Legal Services for the Hudson Valley.
The URA was supposed to be there for regular people like you and me; however, it was hijacked by the selfish political elite. Between 2010 and 2015, over $6,000,000 in questionable loans were doled out to a handful of connected developers. This dirty secret explains why the cost of living and quality of life in Mount Vernon has suffered. The $6,000,000+ that was meant to make a difference in Mount Vernon never made it to where it was supposed to go, that is, our parks and our people. Instead it went into someone’s pocket without benefit to the City.
The facts show that the federal government warned former Mayor Davis, Comptroller Walker, and Councilmember Griffith of the compliance issues and the consequences of defiance. After traveling to Washington DC in August 2016, my administration secured an arrangement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide technical assistance to Mount Vernon with the understanding that we must properly fund the URA. This was presented to Walker and Griffith at countless budget meetings and for many months that followed, but they simply ignored it.
The Mount Vernon political establishment is desperately working to obscure the truth about this serious situation. I understand that two years is not enough time to reverse decades of dis-service. My faith has not failed me. My belief in Mount Vernon’s well-being is what leads me to continue to fight the good policy fight. Our community will become stronger and we will not give up on serving the hundreds of vulnerable families caught in the middle of this political mess.
Originally Published in Westchester County Press Tuesday September 9, 2017
