SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE OMAR MCDOWELL CONSPIRES TO DEFRAUD $100M FROM MOUNT VERNON TAXPAYERS

Educational Genocide In The City of Mount Vernon

CURRENT CORRUPT BUSINESS MANAGER
KEN SILVER

Educational Genocide has been happening in Mount Vernon for the last 19 years and the perpetrators are wearing robes and suits.  It is clear that securing jobs and contracts are more important than educating children in Mount Vernon’s School District.  Valhalla’s Prison is full of past Mount Vernon students who have been robbed of an education. The same people who are supposed to pray for us continue to prey on us.  Since 1997, when Mount Vernon’s black churches and politicians orchestrated a takeover of Mount Vernon’s school board, our district went from blue ribbon status, to one of the worse school districts in the country.

POVERTY PIMP
W. FRANKLYN RICHARDSON

Who is responsible for former Mount Vernon students being unemployed, imprisoned, having substance abuse issues, or no longer being alive? Is there no shame in this city when it comes to our clergy and politicians? It is painfully clear that some in our district are more interested in the Architect that will control a proposed $100 million bond than it does on test scores and graduation rates.

School Board Trustee, Omar McDowell is the new anointed point man for Rev Richardson and the meddling churches. Richardson led the group that is responsible for destroying the Mount Vernon school district. McDowell, the only Trustee who owns no property in the City of Mount Vernon and who pays no property taxes, has taken the baton and is pushing the church’s agenda. The District is trying to pass a $100 Million bond and McDowell wants Richardson’s personal architect, Fuller and D’Angelo to secure a no bid contract without any oversight whatsoever on how our money will be spent.  Where are the feds?

CORRUPT SCHOOL TRUSTEE
OMAR MCDOWELL

$43 million of the $100 million will be spent on Longfellow and Grimes Elementary schools which were built only 10 years ago.  These schools were so poorly constructed that they are falling apart. The $100 million dollar bond used to construct these schools was stolen. Longfellow and Grimes have massive construction issues and are falling apart. These schools were built with crooked architects and contractors and no oversight. Instead of investigating previous bonds to determine who is responsible for this crime, the district wants taxpayers to pay for repairs.  Where are the feds?

The meddling churches are now up in arms because there is a call for a bid process for the bond architect. They demand that Fuller and D’Angelo control the proposed $100 million bond and they absolutely do not want oversight. It is Trustee McDowell’s job to deliver for the churches and he is hell bent to do just that.  Where are the feds?

Joining in on the architect scandal is past Board Member Lenny Sarver, and past Business Manager, Tim Costello. Current Business Manager, Ken Silver has been a disaster because he is not his own man. He has allowed Costello and Sarver to set the financial agenda for the district. Sarver had such a close relationship with Fuller and D’Angelo that he had to recuse himself from voting on their resolutions while he was on the board. Reports say that Sarver and Costello are financially benefiting from the architect firm and are pushing Silver to favor Fuller and D’Angelo.  Where are the feds?

CORRUPT FORMER TRUSTEE
LEN SARVER

In the past 5 years, The Mount Vernon City School district has paid more money to Fuller and D’Angelo than they spent for vocational training or many other needed services. The firm has raked in tens of millions of dollars, taking away from vital children services. One issue troubling Ken Silver is that Fuller and D’Angelo came up with the figure of $100 million needed for the bond. Our guess is that another architect firm would come in with a price tag of $50 million for the bond performing the same work. If this happens, this will expose the planed rip off of taxpayer money. Look for Silver and McDowell to make sure Fuller and D’Angelo receives the contract.

McDowell has two allies on the Board, Darcy Miller and Charmaine Fearon. The trio was elected in 2014, and appears to be puppets to Delia Farqueson, Elias Gootzeit and the blood sucking churches. Mount Vernon Exposed would bet that neither Fearon, McDowell, nor Miller would sell out the children of Scarsdale or Eastchester by robbing them of an education.  It’s easy to beat up on black and brown children.  We  also doubt that Sarver, Silver or Costello, would bring the same pain to Yeshiva students and Jewish taxpayers as they do to the poor people of Mount Vernon. A federal investigated is needed.  Where are the feds?

CORRUPT FORMER BUSINESS MANAGER
TIM COSTELLO

Where are the good Clergy Members? Why has the only mobilization of our religious and political officials been over the control of this proposed bond. When was the last time our churches and leaders galvanized to bring an end to the educational genocide that has occurred in this city? Where is the outrage about our imprisoned and uneducated former students? Why don’t churches open their doors to help school children and other youth stay out of trouble? What are our churches doing besides lining up to get their hands on bond money? Trustee McDowell should take time out of his day to visit Valhalla’s jail so he can learn that almost all inmates from Mount Vernon are former dropouts. He also needs a history lesson to learn why so many former students are in jail.  

CORRUPT FORMER TRUSTEE
ELIAS GOTZEIT

Prior to the Black Church takeover in 1997, Mount Vernon had one of the best vocational programs in the country. Academically challenged students learned carpentry, plumbing, auto repair, cosmetology, etc., which kept them in school. As a revenge pay back to Italian Civic Association member Ralph Tedesco, the church controlled board eliminated the entire vocational program, which Tedesco ran. Once the program was gone, academically challenged students dropped out in record numbers and ended up in jail.  Where are the feds?

Mount Vernon Exposed looked up The Scarsdale School District’s Mission Statement. It is as follows:

The Scarsdale Public Schools seek to sponsor each student’s full development, enabling our youth to be effective and independent contributors in a democratic society and an Interdependent world. To this end, we endeavor to help them to think and express themselves clearly, critically and creatively; to understand themselves and others within the broad fabric of human experience and the natural universe; to appreciate their rights and responsibilities as citizens; and to become people of integrity, maturity and generous spirit. A measure of our success is the degree to which they fulfill their potential for the common good. Valuing our individuality, we unite to keep the flame of learning.

Unfortunately, The Mount Vernon School District’s mission statement can easily read as follows;

The Mount Vernon School District seeks to make Political and Religious leaders happy by giving them full control of contracts and jobs.

Sad but true, educating children is not a priority of our district. The Mount Vernon School District should be embarrassed at what they have done to the children of this city.  Parents who are fortunate enough, send their children to private schools. They can look forward to double taxes, by paying property taxes as well as tuition. Unfortunately, all others are forced to send their children to a district that sends more children to prison than to college. What we need is the district to call in the feds to investigate the district finances. We also need the Clergy, Political leaders, former board members, and former employees, to stop beating up on minority children.

Almost every school board candidate in the past 3 years promised an audit. Where is it? History will not be kind to people who are responsible for Mount Vernon’s Educational Genocide. Everyone who has sat quiet while it took place is just as responsible. Where are the so-called good board members? Open an investigation. No Audit, No Bond.  Bring in the Feds.

EMBATTLED MAYOR ELECT RICHARD THOMAS DEMANDS $10K PER MEETING; WILL BECOME PART OWNER OF PROJECT HE STEERED TOWARD "PREFERRED" DEVELOPER

EMBATTLED MAYOR-ELECT RICHARD THOMAS

Embattled Mayor-elect Richard Thomas ran a campaign of thuggery, shakedowns, bribery, and thievery.  Thomas promised a campaign and an administration of transparency, but has miserably failed to deliver on that promise.

Thomas has committed serious crimes and Mount Vernon taxpayers are wondering where is the long arm of the law to prosecute Thomas and his gang of thieves for the crimes they committed.

On Wednesday, October 7, 2015, Mayor-Elect Richard Thomas held an illegal fundraiser at Leewood Golf Club.  Kyle Munoz, Anthony DeBellis, and Frank Fraley hosted the fundraiser.  The price to attend this glitzy event was a whopping $2,500 per person.  The maximum contribution allowable by law was only $1,801. Richard Thomas named this illegal fundraiser "Win The Future".

RICHARD THOMAS ILLEGAL "WIN THE FUTURE" FUNDRAISER

A Mount Vernon business owner contacted Mount Vernon Exposed last week to report an attempted shakedown by Richard Thomas' campaign staff.  The business owner told Mount Vernon Exposed that he had scheduled a private meeting with Richard Thomas' prior to the "Win The Future" fundraiser.  The business owner who did not attend the "Win The Future" fundraiser met with Thomas about quality of life issues and about improving Mount Vernon's business climate.  The business owner said that at the conclusion of the meeting, Thomas gave him several invitations to the "Win The Future" fundraiser and Thomas said to the business owner, "I hope to see you there."

The business owner told Mount Vernon Exposed that they did not formally commit to going to the fundraiser because of the hefty price tag and because they thought that amount was a bit much for a fundraiser.  The business owner told Thomas that he will "see what they can do" about selling tickets.  The business then told Thomas that they will "see" if they can sell four tickets to the event.  The business owner told Mount Vernon Exposed that they did not sell any tickets to the "Win The Future" fundraiser. 

Several weeks after the fundraiser, the business owner said they were contacted by Richard Thomas' campaign team about the fundraiser.  The business owner said that the person from Richard Thomas' camp said, "You had a meeting several weeks ago with Richard Thomas and you committed to raising $10K."  The business owner told Mount Vernon Exposed that they were totally caught off guard by the phone call from Thomas' camp and at first thought it was a joke until the caller from Thomas' camp gave explicit details regarding the meeting held between the business owner and Thomas.

The caller then further stated, "Richard keeps a log of everyone he meets with and it doesn't show in the log that you gave $10K".  The business owner told Mount Vernon Exposed that the caller from Thomas' camp was very aggressive and demanding.  The caller further stated, "Richard remembers all of those who gave and all of those who didn't give and won't be having any meetings in the future with those who don't commit to him".   The business owner then said, "What do you want me to do? Cut a check for $10K right now?"  The caller then said "That will be nice".  The business owner then said "Not happening and hung up the phone".

Federal investigators must subpoena Richard Thomas and his campaign staff's financial records at once.  A paper trail of contributions and expenditures must be properly established since Thomas' campaign financial disclosures are permeated with fraud and riddled with errors. 

Richard Thomas has indicated that his administration will be "pay to play".  In other words, only those with serious cash will be able to develop and get things done in the City of Mount Vernon.

Thomas has aligned himself with shady businessman Joseph Spiezio who is alleged to have ties to the Lucchese Crime Family.  Spiezio, a known con man and fraudster, has a trail of lawsuits in State and Federal Court to support this claim.  Spiezio has even been named as a defendant in a Federal R.I.C.O. lawsuit claiming he swindled millions of dollars from a development project for his own personal gain and use. 

A political insider has informed Mount Vernon Exposed that all development projects will go through Spiezio.  One such project that Thomas has committed to building is a massive low-income project near the Mount Vernon East Train Station.

Sources have told Mount Vernon Exposed that in recent weeks, Thomas gave the "OK" for the project to move forward as soon as he takes office. It is unclear how much cash Richard received and what kickbacks he was promised for giving his blessing on the low-income project. 

The developer of the project is Larry Regan, CEO of Regan Development.  Thomas has promised Regan massive tax breaks through the City's Industrial Development Agency.  So what is in this deal for Richard one may ask? Did Larry Reegan drop an envelope in Richard's lap in exchange for Thomas allowing Reegan to construct low-income housing near the Mount Vernon East train station? Sources have also confirmed to Mount Vernon Exposed that Thomas is pushing for this project to go through because Thomas will become a part owner of the project once the development is completed. 

LARRY REEGAN OF REGAN DEVELOPMENT 

LOW INCOME VILLAGE PROPOSED BY WEINGARTEN AND REGAN

Reegan has retained Mark Weingarten of the law firm DelBello, Donnellan, Weingarten Tartaglia, Wise, & Wiederkehr L.L.P.  Many in political circles throughout Westchester County view Weingarten as a shady land use attorney that is involved in many controversial projects throughout Westchester. 

CORRUPT ATTORNEY MARK WEINGARTEN

According to a Journal News article published on June 20, 2015 titled "Party favors: Dual posts, perks for political bosses", Weingarten represented G&S Investors of Long Island in a controversial development along the Port Chester waterfront.  Westchester County Election Commissioner Reginald Lafayette was also named in the controversy.

The Chairman's Circle

While not paid as party boss, LaFayette runs the Chairman's Circle, a committee that has spent $183,449 since 2008, when The Journal News first revealed the committee, according to records from the state Board of Elections.

Only $58,276, or 32 percent of the total, went to campaign-related expenses, and nearly half of that was for one Port Chester village election. The rest of the money paid for the various costs of vehicles LaFayette leases, unitemized reimbursements and for dozens of meals, including 21 at Mulino's Restaurant in White Plains.

To pay for it, LaFayette used $102,831 in contributions he received from 2008 through 2014, more than half of it from developers, contractors, and law and accounting firms that do business in Westchester. Other committees donated $43,826, including those of U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel and Westchester District Attorney Janet DiFiore, both Democrats.

In February 2013, the Chairman's Circle also received $5,000 each from Greg Wasser, Douglas Riley and Lawrence Traub, partners with the development firm G&S Investors of Old Bethpage. Another $2,500 came from G&S partner Robert Weinberg, and $5,000 from RMC Development Company, Weinberg's Elmsford-based firm.

G&S developed the Port Chester waterfront, and has been part of a lingering controversy over a damaged bulkhead along the Byram River. G&S, the village and Westchester County are at odds over who is responsible for rebuilding the bulkhead, a repair expected to cost upwards of $7 million.

Port Chester Republicans, who threatened to take control of the village board in 2013, were pushing for G&S to pay for the repairs, and also opposed rezoning a property on Main Street that the developer owns.

In March 2013, LaFayette's committee spent $25,018 on the village election, 93 percent of all campaign-related expenses that year and 43 percent of all campaign-related spending from 2008 through 2014. It was the only election that the committee devoted significant funds to over that span, according to the records.

Democrat Dennis Pilla lost the mayoral seat, but the board ended in a virtual deadlock between the parties. Bart Didden, a Republican trustee who lost a re-election bid, was among those who cried foul.

"G&S has, from the very beginning, supported the Democrats and their actions have hurt property owners through this whole development to the tune of millions of dollars," said Didden, who has a separate legal dispute with G&S. "It definitely doesn't smell right because the people of Port Chester would never know how their politics are being influenced by the largest property holder in the village of Port Chester. There is no transparency here."

Officials at G&S did not return calls seeking comment.

LaFayette maintained that he was not aware that G&S developed the Port Chester waterfront, nor that there was a dispute over the collapsed bulkhead. He said village Democrats simply asked for help and he provided it.

"In terms of coincidence, these are big companies who do business all over," he said. "You know, you do mailings out to people and ask for contributions, and you have a mailing list and you mail to the same people. You don't necessarily know where they're building."

Sources have told Mount Vernon Exposed that Thomas told folks during the campaign that Weingarten and his law firm pledged to raise $150K for Thomas' Mayoral campaign but according to sources, Weingarten never came through with any funds and has only surfaced recently in Mount Vernon with the Reegan development.

What did Weingarten promise Richard Thomas?  Did he promise to make Richard a partner in the deal?  Why is Richard selling off the City of Mount Vernon to the highest bidder?

Federal investigators must investigate the Thomas/Reegan/Spiezio/Weingarten relationship at once before they further destroy the City of Mount Vernon. 

To be continued...

 

MAYOR ELECT RICHARD THOMAS' TRANSITION TEAM CO-CHAIR UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION

Mayor Elect Thomas Transition Advisory Board: 

Symbolism without Substance

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. 

According to an article in the Shelter Island Reporter titled, "Suffolk Close-up: A Long Island web of corruption:

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!!