Monday, March 8, 2010

Mount Vernon City Council votes "YES" for corruption and fraud

Well, they did it. The Mount Vernon City Council went and voted to eliminate the Office of the Inspector General. In a move orchestrated by their puppetmaster Maureen Walker, the new City Council wants city government to revert back to past practice and lack of oversight which allowed Mount Vernon taxpayers to be ripped off by corrupt individuals closely tied to former Mayor Davis. In making his case, Council President Edwards offers that departments can police themselves and the Comptroller has the power to conduct audits in order to prevent illegal and unethical practices. However, these "controls" existed back when the city was being ripped off of millions of dollars and they failed miserably.

The Office of the Inspector General has existed within the City Charter for many years. Former Mayor Ernie Davis failed to ever fund of staff that office and we experienced firsthand the embarrassing and fiscally damaging results. City Council President Yuhanna Edwards and Councilwoman Karen Watts were major players in the former administration when the corruption happened. Edwards had a high level post in the Comptroller's Office, served as the Director of Emergency Services, Recreation Commissioner and was Ernie Davis' hand-picked choice to fill a vacant City Councl seat. Watts served as councilmember and as Recreation Commissioner. Of course, Comptroller Walker, the self-anointed financial watchdog, stood by and actually signed the checks which were made payable to the mob-affiliated A&D Carting (which were major campaign contributors to her) as well as to Wayne Charles' (boyfriend of Davis administration Planning Commissioner Gerrie post) company.

In addition to claiming that controls already exist, Edwards also reasons that the city cannot afford the $200,000 or so budgeted to the IG's office. Well, since Edwards and his Walker puppets voted to increase the council's part-time (25 hours/week) Legislative Assistant position from $35,000 to $89,000 and also voted to restore the $127,000 Chief Accountant's position back to the Comptroller's Office, that is plain old BS. Let's not forget that in order to offer this crony a pay raise and to restore the Chief Accountant's position they raided the city's contingency fund, which is specifically set aside to be used in case of emergencies.Also, keep in mind that the Inspector General has negotiated to save our city millions of dollars in federal fines and penalties and is playing a major role in seeking restitution ($1 million already in the A&D Carting case)n from those who have ripped off the taxpayers right from under the nose of Comptroller Maureen Walker. This new City Council is placing our city in great financial risk.

Politics are also at play here in regards to the part-time Legislative Assistant position. The crony and beneficiary of the above-menioned outlandish pay raise, Nichelle Johnson, has lofty political aspirations. She ran an unsuccessful campaign for City Judge last year and their appears to be another vacancy likely opening up in the future should current City Judge Bill Edwards, as expected, run for a position on the county level. An $89,000/year working only 25 hours per week would give Ms. Johnson a terrific advantage when it comes to a future campaign effort. Could the new City Council offer their longtime friend Nichelle Johnson a better gift and opportunity. Sadly, this gift is paid for by the taxpayers of Mount Vernon.

Speak out about this travesty. Call the City Clerks office at 665-2348 by this Wednesday, March 10 by 3pm, and register to speak out at that night's City Council meeting.


LETTER FROM THE MAYOR TO MOUNT VERNON RESIDENTS:


CITY OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK

office of the mayor

One Roosevelt Square

Mount VERNON, NY 10550

914-665-2300

www.cmvny.com

February 25, 2010

URGENT MESSAGE

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Since 2008, my administration has worked diligently to improve services, advance economic development, and ultimately remove remnants of corrupt practices that have not only tarnished the reputation of our great city, but cost you as taxpayers millions of dollars.

Now as your Mayor, I am writing to inform you of the grossly negligent and illegal attempt of the new City Council, in concert with the Comptroller, to remove the Inspector General from office. Two weeks ago, the City Council proposed legislation to abolish the Office of the Inspector General. Last night they passed this legislation. This is not only reckless and poor public policy, but a clear violation of the Charter of the City of Mount Vernon and the laws of the State of New York. Therefore, I am publically stating that I will take any and all actions to reverse this egregious injustice that can potentially place our beloved city in financial peril.

First, allow me to explain the role of the Inspector General’s Office. The I.G.’s Office is an independent body vested with investigative powers to root out criminal activities, fraud and abuses within every single office in city government. The I.G. also recommends corrective action, and where necessary, refers cases to the appropriate authority, whether federal, state, or local agencies. The prior City Council supported the creation of the Inspector General’s. In 2008, I hired Harry Stokes to serve as Inspector General for our City. Mr. Stokes is a certified Inspector General and uniquely qualified for the position based on his experience in financial management, and as a practicing attorney in both New York State and Washington, D.C.

The creation of the Inspector General position has already saved Mount Vernon taxpayers millions of dollars through my administration’s negotiation of a $1.7 million dollar settlement to repay HUD over a period of years without the City incurring interest or penalties. If we did not have an Inspector General in place, the penalties alone could have approached ten million dollars. This is a fact.

I submit to you, the taxpayer, that this action is strictly politically motivated. The new City Council’s assertions that they are attempting to save money are simply not true. The well-publicized corruption scandals and criminal activity of our city’s all too recent past cost us millions in penalties and waste, and literally screamed out for an Office of Inspector General. Again, these criminal activities occurred under the prior administration. And now, with people loyal to the past ways of governing sitting on our new City Council, the attempt to eliminate this office would only seem to cast us back to the dark ages when corruption and fraud were rampant.


The Office of the Inspector General falls under the executive powers of the Mayor. After this illegal attempt to usurp these executive powers, what vital department will the new City Council attempt to eliminate next?

Second, speaking legally for just a moment, the executive power of the City is vested in the Mayor. Section 69 of the Charter which clearly states the “Inspector General” shall be appointed by the Mayor to hold office until the end of term of the Mayor by whom he or she was appointed and until his or her successor is appointed. Section 27 of the Charter provides that the removal of an appointed officer and/or employee is only permitted by the officer making the appointment. Therefore, since the Mayor appoints the Inspector General, only the Mayor may remove him, not the City Council or the Comptroller. Simply put, the new City Council’s attempts at removal are illegal.

The mere contention that the City systems are in place to detect and prevent corruption and wrongdoings are both factually erroneous, misguided and a poor attempt to deceive the public. In a recent interview with the Journal News, City Council President Yuhanna Edwards said that “each department can monitor itself…and the Comptroller’s office has the ability to audit the various agencies and departments of the City.”

I would remind City Council President Edwards, as I hope you will as well, that the so-called systems and Comptroller’s audit ability were in place when the criminal actions of the former Planning Commissioner and her codefendant, as well as that of the A&D Carting Company and the alleged mobsters, stole millions of dollars from the taxpayers of the City of Mount Vernon. It is the Inspector General who is playing an important role in helping us to recover those losses. Given the convictions of Ms. Post, Wayne Charles and the carting company executive, it is clear that the so-called systems upon which Mr. Edwards so confidently relies have failed miserably.

As citizens and taxpayers of our great city, you deserve and demand greater controls and protection of your tax dollars, and together, we must fight these attempts to return to business as usual. Let me be perfectly clear. I will vehemently oppose all attempts to remove the Inspector General and any efforts by the new Council to undermine or disrupt investigations. I will keep you well informed of my efforts to fight these illegal and irresponsible acts, and please trust that I will continue, as I have for the last two years, to act in the best interest of our great city.

Your browser may not support display of this image. I thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Clinton I. Young, Jr.

MAYOR

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