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Reduced Quality of Life:
The Hidden Cost of Property Tax Giveaways

May 29, 2019

Reduced Quality of Life: The Hidden Cost of Property Tax Giveaways

Due to the overwhelming response I received about the series on the Mount Vernon Industrial Development Agency (MVIDA) and the irresponsible PILOT (payment-in-lieu-of-taxes) programs, I am going to continue the topic to address a few more items we didn’t get a chance to spend much time on. To briefly summarize, in the IDA series we attempted to give an overview of “economic development” in general, including all the ways that cities and governments can attract new investors t

AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR RICHARD THOMAS

May 26, 2019

AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR RICHARD THOMAS

Dear Mayor Thomas: It should come as no surprise by now to anyone following politics in Mount Vernon that you've issued yet another rambling, incoherent conspiracy theory about "forces" trying to bring you down. You've been beating that drum for a years now. If it's not me, it's Comptroller Reynolds. If not her, then former Mayor Davis or Comptroller Maureen Walker. If not them, then Chase Bank. The Attorney General, the District Attorney, the courts, the "system," - the l

ANOTHER AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY IN MOUNT VERNON

May 21, 2019

ANOTHER AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY IN MOUNT VERNON

We have too much experience with senseless loss in Mount Vernon, too many personal stories of lives delayed, ruined, or lost. Our hearts are too heavy, too often in the wake of too much tragedy, especially when that tragedy visits our children. Unfortunately, we find ourselves here again, mourning the loss of another child too soon. Drew Faustin, a fourth-grader at Graham Elementary School, was struck and killed by a car last week on Columbus Avenue. Just days before Mothe

Responsible Development Means Real Priorities

May 21, 2019

Responsible Development Means Real Priorities

In Part 1 of the series, we talked about the dangers and bad actors that lurk in the background of “economic development.” Part 2 addressed the giveaways and misplaced priorities associated with the current version of the Mount Vernon Industrial Development Agency (MVIDA). This column is the final installment of my series on Responsible Development, which, we’ll look to pull everything together and chart a path forward. It’s no surprise to anyone looking around this city or

RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT MEANS REAL TRANSPARENCY - Part 2 of a 3-Part Series

May 7, 2019

RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT MEANS REAL TRANSPARENCY - Part 2 of a 3-Part Series

In this series, we’re discussing a concept I call “Responsible Development,” primarily by analyzing the irresponsible development that has been going on for too long in Mount Vernon. To get to the root of that, we need to spend some time looking at the Mount Vernon Industrial Development Agency (MVIDA). Before we do that, though, I wanted to recap briefly Part 1 of this series where we learned that “industrial development agencies” are a creation of state law given exceeding