Well, if you read today's Journal News, you've seen the reason for the City Councils secret "special meeting" on Monday at 5:30pm. It seems to be yet another in the dark attempt to eliminate the Inspector General's office. Yes, the same office that Mayor Young created in the aftermath of the dirty dealings that occurred during the Ernie Davis administration. You've heard of these corruption cases - the Secion 8 fiasco, A&D Carting and Gerrie Post/Wayne Charles.
Now, let's look at a common thread between the Davis regime and today, well there are three of them and they are: Maureen Walker, Yuhanna Edwards (now City Council President) and Karen Watts (now and then, councilwoman). These three were entrenched members of Ernie's cabal with Maureen being the alleged financial watchdog, Yuhanna serving in the Comptroller;s office, as Civil Service Director, Recreation Commissioner and Ernie's hand-chosen pick for a vacant city council seat and Watts as the Recreation Commissioner and councilwoman. One needs to ask the question, just why does Maureen and her City Council puppets Watts, Edwards, Munro and Appuzo want to eliminate the office of Inspector General - the only office that provides a deterrent and oversight to any potential dirty dealings in City Hall. Well, Council Pres. Edwards claims that this move is because we can't afford the $165,000 in salaries between the Inspector General and his Secretary. I say that he couldn't be more full of caca if he were a dung beetle scouring a heard of water buffalo. The fact, Mr. Edwards, is that the IG has worked with the Justice Department and HUD saved our city millions of dollars in penalties and fines from the HUD fiasco. He has reportedly fought for and won restitution in the A&D Carting case. He has recommended and institued internal controls within City Hall. He has restored confidence in Mount Vernon in the eyes of the Feds. Yet, Edwards claims that the city cannot afford the IG position. I state that the city cannot afford to eliminate the IG position and doing so would make it look like the city is going back to the old corrput ways of the Davis administration. Edwards also claims that the Comptroller can conduct audits whenever she wants so that the IG is not needed. However, why did the Comptroller NEVER conduct an audit when the taxpayers of Mount Vernon were ripped of by these scandals? Now, back to the shady ways of the City Council and it's President, along with his puppetmaster Maureen Walker - this effort was first presented by the Comptroller Walker at a Board of Estimate meeting. When the agenda was completed and the meeting was about to end, unbeknownst to anyone else in room save her and Edwards, Walker handed the City Clerk two sealed envelopes that conatined legislation to defung the IG's office and to ransfer the moneys to the City Council office to create a new position under the council. Mayor Young beat back this illegal attempt. However, in a special meeting this past Monday afternoon at 5:30pm (called with no public notice), the City Council introduced legislation to eliminate the IG's office. This was the second attempt by Maureen and her puppets to eliminate oversight in the city. Why are they so anxious to run the IG out of Mount Vernon? Well, I submit that one needs to look no further than their ties to the Davis Adminstration.
Councilwomen Appuzo and Munro, will you go along with these shenanigans, or will you provide the transparency and leadership that you spoke of frequently when you were running for office? You are now in the spotlight.
Mount Vernon, shine the spotlight on these sunlight hating elected officials and forward this email to those who have a stake in our future.
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