Request for Emergency Financial Control Board for City of Mount Vernon

January 25, 2021 — This letter serves as a request to City council to enact legislation in the support of the New York State Legislature to advance the request for an Emergency Financial Control Board for the City of Mount Vernon. to assist with the financial duties of the City of Mount Vernon. This request does not come lightly, but as the Mayor, I’ve witnessed the dereliction of duty and gross fiscal malfeasance by our current Comptroller and have grave concerns about the financial state of our city. Financial Control Boards are not a new idea and currently there are several communities, including Yonkers, who have utilized them in the past.

Therefore, I again ask that the City Council support the legislation and press it forward to the State Legislature for approval. We can not afford to sit idly by while the financial status of our city remains in mystery while thousands of residents and our city workforce suffer from the inability of one person within our government. We must use every tool at our disposal to ensure that the financial viability of the City of Mount Vernon is protected.

In Service,

Shawyn Patterson-Howard, MPA