“I never considered running for public office until I saw just how badly the people in office five years ago were bungling city government. That’s why I’ve been so dedicated to actually delivering results and reforming the dysfunctional way our city government operated. We have not finished solving every entrenched problem we face; in a lot of cases we had to re-learn how to walk and handle the basics before we could try to run. But every day my team and I come to work with a sense of purpose and a dedication to doing the right thing for Mount Vernon.”

We’ve come so far that it’s easy to forget just how bad things had gotten.

I made it a priority to end the chaos and corruption at City Hall.

Before I took office, the dysfunction at City Hall was a national embarrassment. You had dueling press conferences, lawmakers suing each other, and multiple people claiming to be Mayor at once. The previous Mayor was under indictment and would plead guilty right after losing the election. Today, under my leadership, none of that is the case. Now, I don’t always agree on the issues with my colleagues in government, but we do agree to work together professionally.

Reopening Memorial Field was personal for me.

It’s where I ran track as a High School student, and I had so many positive memories tied to the field. But ​​for decades it had been treated like a political football and served as a dumping ground. Now, it’s re-open and is a community asset again. My administration was finally able to build consensus and get the project into the end zone by working cooperatively with our partners at all levels of government – here in Mount Vernon, at the county level, and at the state level.

Everyone talks about investing in infrastructure; we’re actually doing it.

We’ve invested hundreds of millions to repave our streets, replace old bridges, and repair our sewers. In 2022, we secured the largest environmental justice grant anywhere in the US because we were able to partner with Governor Hochul, with Assemblyman Pretlow, and Senator Bailey.

Making our city safer and more just is critical to our future.

Crime spiked across America during COVID, but we’ve been working hard to bring it down and ensure everyone can feel safe in their own city. Crime fell 14.2% between 2020 and 2021, and we recovered 101 guns that year. Since I took office, we’ve averaged fewer murders per year than under my predecessor while the police have solved a higher percentage of them. We did so while working through a police reform plan that will put our values into action. I have been working on the frontlines of building a more just and safe city for 30 years and these concepts and concerns aren’t new to me: addressing them has been my life’s work.