Thanksgiving is for Loved Ones

Thanksgiving is the time each year when our nation unites. We put aside our differences, grievances and gripes to come together with family and loved ones to honor the blessings and beauty in our lives. There is always something for which to be thankful: a renewed commitment to change, the courage to stand up for our beliefs, our lives in all of their messy and colorful glory.

This year, my heart is filled with gratitude. I am grateful for my village, those who encouraged me to be the change that I believe Mount Vernon deserved, those who came out to support my candidacy, and everyone who engaged in our great democracy by voting. Because of your efforts, Mount Vernon is poised for evolution and transformation. Our City is committed to moving forward together towards progress and prosperity. I appreciate my family, friends, and colleagues, all of my roots in Mount Vernon and beyond.

I will spend the holiday with the people I love most, celebrating a year of triumph and lessons, thankful for strength, health, peace and a future brimming with promise. I will also be thinking of those less fortunate, and how I can help make their lives better and more hopeful.

I wish all of you a joyous Thanksgiving filled with family and faith, or whatever and whomever brings you happiness. This is a time to cherish the positive, to focus on our collective strength and compassion as a city, and as a country. Let us all remember that what unites us is so much greater than our divisions.

#ForwardTogether

Sincerely,

Shawyn Patterson-Howard

Mayor-Elect, City of Mount Vernon