Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas Positions City To Move Forward

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. -- Mayor Richard Thomas had long wanted to see Mount Vernon shed its negative image and return to its roots. In order to see his vision through, all he had to do was become the youngest mayor in the town's history.

Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas.

Photo Credit: Daily Voice

Joe Jenkins

06/14/2016 5:00 a.m.

After taking office, Thomas soon learned that change would not come fast or easy. Thomas then focused his energy on the Department of Public Works.

"My immediate task and priority was to prioritize the most busy department given the time of year, January at the time, that was DPW," Thomas told Daily Voice. "Making sure our snow removal was robust and ready for anything. That showed when we beat back the blizzard of 2016."

Now, after nearly half a year in office, Thomas continues to push Mount Vernon forward while juggling the civic and political problems of the day.

"It is triage. There are a lot of things that need to be addressed here," Thomas said. "The basics are what I believe the people of Mount Vernon want addressed: They want pot holes fixed, they want streetlights turned back on, they want zombie homes knocked down and razed so blocks can have a better sense of quality of life."

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