Mayor: It Will Take 'Act Of God' To Avoid City Shutdown

MOUNT VERNON, NY — In a public meeting called to discuss the ongoing dispute with the elected comptroller, Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard described a city in crisis.

At the Tuesday virtual meeting of the Board of Estimates and Contract, she warned that Mount Vernon would not only run out of fuel for emergency and public works vehicles soon, but likely faces a near-total operational shutdown in the coming days.

SEE ALSO: Gas Rationing For Police: Mayor Declares Fuel Emergency

“Right now, I am not sure what our options are but we have to come up with something because we are at the end of our ability to operate this city fiscally if something drastic and immediate and wide and far-reaching is not done,” the mayor told City Council President Marcus Griffith. “It is time for external intervention. Anything outside of an act of God or a person on a higher level to happen, we’re not going to be able to just solve this internally.”

The mayor confirmed that the city will head to court to seek emergency relief in an ongoing dispute with Mount Vernon Comptroller Deborah Reynolds. Patterson-Howard made clear she blames the comptroller’s office for the current crisis, accusing Reynolds of refusing to release approved funds for essential services.

Reynolds has been absent from recent public meetings. As of Wednesday morning, she has not responded to requests from Patch for comment.

“It is painful for our city that right now we are on the brink of an operational shutdown because of her lack of willingness to do her job and to participate in government,” Mayor Patterson-Howard lamented. “We’re in a dire situation.”

While the city was able to secure some assistance from the county to put fuel in police and fire trucks, the city says strict gas rationing remains in effect - even in emergency vehicles. Fuel tanks in Mount Vernon could run dry as soon as Friday.

Past due fuel bills aren’t the only invoices Reynolds is accused of ignoring. According to the mayor, health insurance premiums for both active and retired city employees have gone unpaid. Programs to deliver meals to seniors have also been disrupted during a global pandemic, allegedly because the comptroller has refused to pay one of the program's vendors. In the past, unions representing city employees have accused the comptroller of shorting workers' paychecks.