Embattled Mount Vernon
City Councilwoman Lisa Copeland is at again.Sources have told Mount Vernon Exposed that Copeland is off her
medication for bi-polar disorder.Her
recent tirades in public, especially at City Council meetings have people
questioning her mental fitness to carry out her duties as an official City
Councilwoman.
Just last Wednesday at a
City Council meeting on the record Copeland went berserk after a community
activist questioned Lisa Copeland about why she hasn’t filed Campaign Financial
Disclosure Reports since 2013.Copeland
was also asked about trying to get her friend, Donna Jackson, who currently
works as the Executive Assistant to Superintendent of Schools Ken Hamilton, a
job working with the City Council and an immediate $35K raise.
Copeland was also warned
that she will be ousted next election over these scandals and she fired back by
stating ”No one can stop me from being re-elected, this is my city”.This is not the first reckless stating coming
from Copeland.Copeland recently told
her fellow Councilmembers that she has undue influence in Attorney General Eric
Schneiderman and his office and
can get anyone locked up or investigated.Copeland even said that if it wasn’t for her, Schneiderman wouldn’t even
have been elected.
Copeland also
said on the record, that she has a meeting tomorrow morning to me with Attorney
General Eric Schneiderman to discuss getting two of her political rivals
arrested and investigated and immediately after that, she has an appointment
with the New York State Board of Elections.
Copeland escaped
federal prosecution after she intentionally shredded documents from the City Clerk’s
office when the Feds were investigating former Mayor Ernie Davis.Copeland purposely destroyed documents
pertinent to the investigation, including, but not limited to, Financial
Disclosure Forms.
EMBATTLED MAYOR ELECT RICHARD THOMAS AND LUCCHESE AFFILIATED TOP ADVISOR JOSEPH SPIEZIO
Mount Vernon Mayor Elect
Richard Thomas announced his advisory council to the pubic yesterday. What was missing
from Thomas' advisory council was his promise of real community connection.
Where are the community leaders? Where are the people that have been out front
in support of Thomas’s campaign from the beginning? Mayor Thomas has gone
astray and alienated the core group of supporters that put him in office.
As we say in Mount Vernon, the
streets are talking and the streets are saying that Thomas has turned his back
on his main supporters that gave him the credibility to galvanize the support
of the masses of Mt. Vernon.
Are we to believe that the
list of advisors presented by Mayor-elect Richard Thomas actually knows how to
advise Thomas on the day-to-day operations in Mount Vernon?
Are we the people of Mt.
Vernon to be bamboozled by titles and corporate positions and no real history
in our community?
Mayor Elect Richard Thomas
has assembled a transition team headed by an individual that has ties to former
New York State Majority Leader Dean Skelos.United States Attorney Preet Baharara has indicted Skelos and his son.
Mayor Elect Richard Thomas
has named Arthur "Jerry" Kremer who heads a company called Empire
Government Strategies.Kremer's company
is tied to Senator Skelos' indictment.
The
arrest on federal corruption charges of Long Islander Dean Skelos, majority
leader of the New York State Senate, and his resignation from that post last week,
casts a spotlight on a major law firm.
Ruskin
Moscou Faltischek is a mover-and-shaker of governments on Long Island and one
of its partners is an East Ender in charge of lobbying activities for the firm.
The
Times article said “the criminal complaint in the case — which cataloged a
series of accusations centered on the senator’s efforts to use his official
position to extort money for his son — did not reflect well on the firm.” The
Times noted that the federal charge alleged, “At the senator’s request, the law
firm ‘steered title insurance work’ to his son, Adam B. Skelos, ‘including at
least one real estate transaction’ for over $32.6 million.”
Mr.
Skelos was presented on the law firm’s website in the context of his official
position — “Senator Dean G. Skelos, Of Counsel,” was its heading. Although now
mired in legal problems involving alleged corruption, one passage speaks, with
an irony that’s almost funny, about Senator Skelos “building upon his record of
combating fraud and abuse in government.”
According
to the federal charge, the senator began working at the firm in 1994, he has
been paid more than $2.6 million, despite the fact that it appears, based on
evidence gathered during the investigation, that Mr. Skelos “did not perform
any actual legal work” for the firm.
An
unusual aspect of the firm is what it calls its “government relations arm,
Empire Government Strategies.” This is headed by Arthur “Jerry” Kremer of
Bridgehampton.
ARTHUR "JERRY" KREMER
CORRUPT NYS SENATOR DEAN SKELOS (CURRENTLY INDICTED BY FEDS ON CORRUPTION CHARGES)
In a
section on the law firm’s website devoted to Mr. Kremer, under his photo is a
quote: “Law and politics have always been closely aligned. Many of my clients
turn to me for legal counsel, but also for my insights into the political
arena, which is a constantly changing landscape.” He is described as a partner
in the law firm.
Mr.
Kremer is a Democrat and for 23 years was a member of the New York State
Assembly. As a lobbyist, he’s been active in Suffolk County representing, among
other clients, the tobacco industry and seeking to block measures advanced by
the Suffolk Legislature to restrict smoking.
Although
a highly active lobbyist, for 20 years he has regularly appeared as a political
and government analyst on Cablevision’s News12.
Newsday,
in an investigative article by reporter Mark Harrington in 2013, detailed how
the “influential law firm and its government relations arm have a history of
close ties to the Long Island Power Authority and stand to gain billions if new
LIPA contracts come their clients’ way in coming weeks and months.”
It noted
that the Uniondale-based firm “long has represented Caithness of New York City
through its government relations arm” and “helped the energy company through
lobbying and consulting work to secure a $1.49 billion LIPA contract for a new
power plant.” Caithness is now pushing to add a second gas-fired power plant to
the one it built in Yaphank.
The law
firm through its “Empire Government Strategies,” the Newsday piece continued, “Also
has represented PSEG of New Jersey since at least last year. PSEG is slated to
see a $200 million-plus expansion of its $3.8 billion contract with LIPA if the
State Legislature OKs Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s proposal to give PSEG near
total control of the LIPA grid in January,”
Preet
Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York,
which includes Long Island, has been doing a extraordinary job exposing how New
York State government functions (or dysfunctions). His charges against Mr.
Skelos of Rockville Centre follow the indictment in February, also on
corruption charges, of the top Democrat in the State Legislature, Sheldon
Silver of Manhattan, the Assembly speaker, also forced to resign his leadership
post. Earlier, Mr. Bharara brought a series of successful prosecutions against
other state officials.
Thomas’s connection with
alleged Lucchese crime family associate Joseph Spiezio has run all of Thomas’s
credible support away and running for the hills. The exposure of the Spiezio Thomas
connection has forced Thomas to downplay the leadership role of his lead advisor.
Make no mistake about it, Spiezio is still running things and he still is making
Thomas’ decisions.
What we are witnessing are
acts of desperation by an administration that has spiraled out of control
before the administration has even taken office.
We must continue to hold
elected officials accountable and not tolerate shenanigans from any elected
official, even if he has a smile and a collage degree!!
MAYOR ELECT-RICHARD THOMAS AND LUCHESE CRIME FAMILY CONNECTED ADVISOR JOSEPH SPIEZIO
Richard Thomas promised transparency and to put an end to corruption
when elected as Mayor, but instead Mr. Thomas has assembled a team of criminals
and shady businessmen to "Win the Future" for Mount Vernon.
The United States attorney must launch a full-scale
investigation into the source of Richard Thomas' campaign finances and
investigate the extortion committed by Richard Thomas' campaign.
Richard Thomas has aligned himself with corrupt and shady
businessman Joseph Spiezio.Sources have
told Mount Vernon Exposed that Spiezio also doubles as a government informant
and is also connected to the Luchese Crime Family.Spiezio is the owner of R&S Waste
Services.Spiezio through his puppet
Richard Thomas is seeking to privatize D.P.W., a move that will cost Mount
Vernon taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
The shady Spiezio has a history of breaking the law and not
paying wages to workers.In fact, the
shady Spiezio was fined over $50K in the state of Louisiana for constructing
homes without the proper licenses.
On election night, Richard Thomas publicly thanked Mr.
Spiezio as one of his advisors.Sources
told Mount Vernon Exposed that Spiezio dropped over $100K cash into Richard
Thomas' lap to ensure that Spiezio's dirty deals and privatization of D.P.W.
are not met with any resistance whatsoever.
The Thomas campaign has been a campaign of fraud, deceit,
shakedowns, and thuggery.Thomas'
advisors even consisted of several convicted felons who are still involved with
felonious activities.
Taxpayers will be feeling the effects of Thomas' corruption
when they are hit with a tax increase because of increased costs associated
with dumping at D.P.W.Thomas, who
chairs the Department of Public Works as City Councilman, has been allowing
corruption at D.P.W. to go undetected.
Richard Thomas has already cost Mount Vernon taxpayers tens
of thousands of dollars by filing a baseless lawsuit seeking to stop work at
Memorial Field.The judge saw right
through Thomas' malarkey and political grandstanding.Thomas jumped at the opportunity on what he
saw as good press coverage to divert the public’s attention away from the criminal
activity surrounding his campaign finances.
A D.P.W. insider told Mount Vernon Exposed that there has
been triple the amount of garbage dumped at D.P.W. within the last six months.
The insider said that private trucks without markings have been coming to the
D.P.W. yard dumping garbage that should be disposed of there.The insider told Mount Vernon Exposed that
chatter around the D.P.W. indicated that the trucks dumping at D.P.W. belong to
Spiezio and the drivers are told not to dump if there is anyone present down at
the yard.The insider said that the
trucks come in the middle of the night when a skeleton crew is working.
When Thomas thanked Spiezio publicly on News12, it sent a
clear signal that organized crime will be free to operate unscathed in the City
of Mount Vernon for the next four years.A simple search of "Joe Spiezio or Joseph Spiezio in Google would
produce dozens of pages pertaining to the shady businessman and a trail of
destruction he has left up and down the east coast.
Mayor Elect Thomas has appointed mafia associate Spiezio as the head of his transition team. Spiezio started interviewing potential candidates for cabinet posts this week. Spiezio wants to make sure he controls who is going in as D.P.W. Commissioner so that he can further his criminal enterprise.
Many in the Mount Vernon community are puzzled as to how
Mayor Elect Thomas became associated with Mr. Spiezio.Mount Vernon Exposed will explain.
Mayor Elect Thomas' older brother Steven "Butch"
Thomas has been on Spiezio's payroll for years.Butch has told members of the community that he is responsible for
installing the cameras and GPS on Spiezio's fleet of garbage trucks.How much cash did big brother Butch get paid
to make to the introduction to brother Rich?Was this cash reported to the I.R.S.?
BUTCH THOMAS WITH BROTHER MAYOR ELECT RICHARD THOMAS
Butch is also trying to take on another role in the City of
Mount Vernon.Butch Thomas has told
folks that him, Spiezio and others have started dozens of shell companies that
will be putting up "hotels" and other buildings in the City of Mount
Vernon.In other words, Butch has
admitted that "extortion" would the major source of income for Mayor
Elect Richard Thomas and the members of his cabinet.
Here is how the scheme will work:Any developer seeking to do business in Mount
Vernon would first have to meet with Spiezio.Spiezio would then muscle his way into the deal and receive a cut of the
profits he isn’t morally entitled to.How is that for transparency?
Butch Thomas has also be going on public rants, threatening
those that have opposing views on his brother Richard Thomas' candidacy.
