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| CORRUPT BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR KEN SILVER |
Corruption Alive And Flourishing In Mount Vernon City School
Mount Vernon Exposed had great hopes for Mount
Vernon School District Business Manager Ken Silver, who replaced embattled
Business Manager Tim Costello. However, sources have informed us that Silver is
being controlled by ex board member, Lenny Sarver, and Ex Business Manager, Tim
Costello. We were informed that at the urging of Sarver and Costello, Silver
wants a $150 million bond, which needs approval, by Mount Vernon’s taxpayers.
Both Sarver and Costello handpicked Silver as Costello’s replacement, and
sources say, they are running the show. Sarver who is a crony of Ernie Davis,
and Costello who is beholden to Mount Vernon’s meddling churches, appear to be in
control of the School District’s financial agenda. Sarver successfully pushed for
Architects, Fuller and D’Angelo to continue to have complete control of the Architect
business in the Mount Vernon City School District. Sources say that Sarver is
on Fuller and D’ Angelo’s payroll. Sarver had such a close relationship with these
Architects when he was a board member, that he recused himself on votes regarding
the firm. Sources explain that behind the scenes, Sarver is steering the entire
District’s Architect business to Fuller and D’Angelo, which is costing
taxpayers millions. Sarver also secured a job for former school employee John
Zambelli, with Fuller and D’Angelo. With the help of Sarver, Zambelli, who retired
from the district in 2013, tried to receive a consulting contract with the
district, but the resolution was voted down. Many workers in the district accused
Zambelli of stealing millions of dollars of the school district’s equipment.
Zambelli is back in the district with the help of Sarver and Silver.
Sources say that Rev. Franklyn Richardson of Grace Baptist, and Ernie
Davis want their hands on any upcoming bond. All bonds in the past 20 years
were mismanaged or outright stolen. Costello refused to open up investigations
of past bond thefts, and we can be certain that Silver will follow suit. Rev.
Richardson, who also has a personal relationship with Fuller and D’Angelo, is
the main culprit in the decline of Mt Vernon’s school District.
Rev. Richardson spearheaded
the takeover of the Mount Vernon school board in 1997. Richardson rescued Mt
Vernon’s blue ribbon school district from the Italian Civic Association “ICA”.
In the next 19 years, Mt Vernon’s school district has imploded, and gone from
Blue Ribbon status, to one of the worse school districts in the state.
Richardson’s group, C.E.P.A.A.
or The Coalition for the Empowerment of People of African Ancestry has been
resurrected in the City of Mount Vernon. This time C.E.P.A.A. is
going under a different name. The Mount Vernon Board Campaign Action Committee,
Inc. was organized by former School Board Trustee Elias Gootzeit, and
spearheaded by Rev Mizell of Grace Baptist and Delia Farquharson. Ms.
Farquharson was strongly supported by Tim Costello in her failed bid for a seat
on the City Council.
Bond Theft
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| PREVIOUS BOND RESOLUTION |
CEPAA and Mayor Ernie Davis were determined to provide jobs for their
friends and family members. However, their main goal was to make themselves
rich. Educating children was not going to be a priority of the CEPAA controlled
board. A golden opportunity to “cash in” came when Mount Vernon Voters approved
a $100 million bond. This bond was to be used to build Longfellow Middle School
and Grimes elementary school.
Prior to 2002, Mount Vernon Schools were immaculately maintained. They
had a very good buildings and grounds department, headed by Buildings and
Grounds Superintendent Robin Cole, and Maintenance Foreman, Steven Lewis. These
two gentlemen performed their jobs effectively. They were extremely knowledgeable.
It is difficult to steal money earmarked for the construction and repair of
school buildings, with an honest Buildings and Grounds management in place.
Crooked churches and our crooked Mayor wanted Cole and Lewis out of the
picture.
Civil Service law prevented the
firing of the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, and Maintenance Foreman,
so on June 30, 2002; the last day of the school year the board could vote, they
terminated the entire Buildings and Grounds department positions. The
resolutions were 02-406, and 02-405. The board members who terminated these
positions were, Francis Wynn, Carol Ben Rubin, Gerald Coleman, Diane Munro, Marlene
Dandridge, Lynn McBride, and Gloria Colman.
The elimination of a buildings and Grounds Department is unprecedented,
especially when major construction was to begin. However, stealing public bond
money can only take place by eliminating oversight. It was imperative that they
get rid of knowledgeable district workers who could witness corruption. The
firings opened the way for crooks to get their hands on the $100,000,000 bond
earmarked for the repair of the aging school infrastructure, and to build
Longfellow and Grimes. Longfellow and Grimes were erected with poor material
and poor labor. Our tax money went out the back door.
So much money went missing, that additional bonds totaling $28 million
were obtained at the expense of taxpayers to finish projects. Crooks lined
their pockets with taxpayer money, and now Longfellow and Grimes need millions
of dollars of additional taxpayer monies to fix problems associated with the
ill fated bonds. A company named Mount Vernon Architect was the Architects for
the 2002 projects. Mount Vernon Architect did not exist prior to the bond and
quickly disbanded after our money was stolen.
Groups are now circling the proposed “Bond” wagon, waiting for money to
fall off. Architects were the main
culprits in past bond thefts in the City of Mt Vernon.
Former board member, Francis Wynn
who continues to meddle in district affairs, needs to explain to the public, why
she voted to eliminate the buildings and grounds department in 2002. Her
actions opened the way for illegal acts to be waged against the people of Mt
Vernon. The biggest decline in Mt Vernon’s school district came under Wynn’s
watch as School Board Trustee. Her votes helped ruin our district.
The district needs to investigate the mishandling
of previous bonds. The district also needs to reject any meddling from
religious institutions, former employees, former trustees, and elected
officials. Sources say that Rev Richardson has Trustee Omar McDowell fighting
to keep out oversight, and to handpick Fuller and D’Angelo as Architects.
Corruption is alive and flourishing in the school
district and Mount Vernon Exposed calls for the board to investigate any
connection Ken Silver has to Sarver, Costello, Ernie Davis, and Rev Richardson. No bond will ever be approved by the voters
in Mount Vernon if outside forces are calling the shots.
Lenny Sarver needs to “get out” of the district’s business. He ran his
Father’s electrical company into the ground, and now appears to be making his
money through back door deals in illegal school contracts. Sarver has cost the
taxpayers money in the past. He lobbied votes for Richard Tomko during the 2014
Superintendent search. Tomko, a failed Elmwood Park NJ, Superintendent, walked
away with $200,000 of taxpayer’s money, by suing our poor district. Tomko’s hiring
was rejected, and we can only guess that Sarver secretly signed his contract
before the board approved his appointment. The taxpayers became liable.
It appears that Ken Silver is
letting outside people control him, and this cannot happen. Mount Vernon is a
poor community that has suffered from years of corruption. Mount Vernon Exposed
calls for a Federal investigation of the Business office at Mt Vernon’s School
District. Mount Vernon Exposed also urges the Citizens of Mount Vernon to reject
any bond put in front of them while people who were ousted from the district continue
to control it.
