Turning Liabilities into Assets
Dear Mount Vernon Friends and Family -
Nelson Mandela once said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” We understand that! In the past, the Mount Vernon Central School District struggled significantly and we are encouraged that they are now taking steps to improve performance.
Upon entering office, I took inventory of the major issues Mount Vernon must address — public safety, our crushing property taxes and our broken infrastructure. We prepared a briefing memo for Albany that identified over $600 million in investments needed and began the conversation with federal, state, and local colleagues on funding solutions to these known challenges. We are pleased to report that the State of New York, under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s leadership, has responded to many of our calls and the County of Westchester has shown signs of hope. We are working diligently unite with the City Council and Comptroller Maureen Walker in executing our plans to fix the broken system. Over the past eighteen months my administration has demonstrated that we believe partnering with the School District on capital projects and shared services represents the biggest opportunity to cut costs, improve performance, and make Mount Vernon affordable again.
As Mayor, my job is to turn liabilities into assets. The Mount Vernon City School District must become our best-performing asset and again our shining star. Last week, I reminded Superintendent Kenneth Hamilton of our pledge to partner with the School District on our 2050 Initiative — a connected capital plan that will activate our future. We presented the vision and framework for our capital plan during our July 2017 town hall. The top priorities include Memorial Field, smooth streets, clean environment, after-school programs, and improving our quality of life. Please click here for video of the forum or here for the slide deck.
Many of you may have read in the
Journal News this morning about the construction taking place across the Mount Vernon City School District via the recent bond allocation. Many of you may have felt a familiar fear when the newspaper wrote that “City residents are bracing for increased school taxes that start this year to help pay off the $108 million bond.”
The city recognizes the funding limitations and the immense tax burden from the school district. We should all be concerned that the $108 million bond allocation has exceeded its budget and left many schools behind. This is why we are taking definitive action to help the district level the playing field for all schools in all neighborhoods. Our 2050 initiative works to bridge both gaps in funding and achievement to help Mount Vernon rise again. We hope the school district accepts our invitation so we can create a better Mount Vernon.
As Mayor, I will continue to convene community stakeholders to confront our shared challenges and develop concrete solutions. Our team of advisors includes senior level appointees from the Obama and Bloomberg administrations; renowned experts from the World Economic Forum, the Trust for Public Land, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors as well as academic institutions such as New York University and Mercy College’s Institute of Strategic Consulting. Despite all the obstacles, we have pulled together an all-star team to work with Mount Vernon. Together, we can make Mount Vernon magnificent again.
We know that a house divided cannot stand. For the past twenty-five years, Mount Vernon has remained frozen in time. Now is not the time to stand still, we must continue to move forward.
We are standing up for Mount Vernon and it is time for our local leaders to come to the table and embrace a role on the team to move Mount Vernon forward. We are ready to put the best and brightest minds to work for Mount Vernon. We look forward to hearing from Superintendent Hamilton and the School District as we seek to continue our active collaboration.
Respectfully,
Mayor Richard Thomas
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