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City Hall’s Private Charities

How Mount Vernon Officials Built Two Nonprofits to Fund Themselves with Your Money

Two city-employee-run nonprofits operate out of the same room in Mount Vernon City Hall. The Comptroller leads both — and approved $60,000 in federal funds to one of them. Public records reveal deep conflicts of interest and zero public oversight.
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We Met With Assemblyman Pretlow About Mount Vernon’s Fiscal Emergency

He supports state financial oversight — if the city council asks for it.

MVCIP met with Assemblyman Pretlow to discuss Mount Vernon's fiscal crisis. He supports state financial oversight — but the City Council must request it first.
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The Austerity Budget That Wasn’t

Mount Vernon is operating under what City officials describe as “austerity budget protocols.”

Mount Vernon officials approved $20,800 in conference travel, a Las Vegas junket for a Building Commissioner whose department is in shambles, and a portrait ceremony — all while claiming austerity.
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If It’s Administrative, Why Create It?

City Hall Ignores Austerity Budget and Lowers the Bar for Civil Service

Mount Vernon’s new infrastructure chief raises questions about executive power, consultant costs, and long-term fiscal risk. Who really pays?
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Why “Nothing Works” in Mount Vernon

How Dysfunction, Incompetence, and Corruption Became the Operating System

When dysfunction, incompetence, and corruption overlap, nothing works. Mount Vernon's government trifecta explained — and why reform can't wait.
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New York: The State of “There’s Nothing We Can Do.”

Mount Vernonites deserve more than Press Releases

New York State claims oversight over Mount Vernon — but never enforces it. When every agency passes the buck, residents have one option: fix it ourselves.
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When Your Government Lies to You

One FOIL Request. Zero Records. Thirteen Days Later, a Cover-Up

When Mount Vernon officials said no records existed, thirteen days later they appeared on a council agenda. MVCIP breaks down the FOIL response, pension filings, and what residents deserve to know.
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What Does Civic Power Look Like?

Public Pressure Stops Bronxville Field Club Settlement

How public pressure and community organizing stopped a backroom settlement, and what this moment reveals about civic power, transparency, and accountability in Mount Vernon.
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$450,000 for Silence

The Bronxville Field Club Settlement That Sacrifices Hunt’s Woods and Guts Public Accountability

A secret settlement. A powerless Planning Board. A flooded neighborhood left out of the room - sold off for $450,000.
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An Accidental Moment of Honesty

The City’s Own AI Chatbot ‘Lucky’ Offers Solutions

Mount Vernon is talking about “AI leadership” while its own chatbot diagnoses political dysfunction and broken governance. The gap between rhetoric and reality is hard to miss.
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