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03-23-09
SPECIAL REPORT
Helen Blackwood chosen as new Mt. Vernon City Court Judge; Loretta Hottinger new Corporation Council

Mayor Clinton I. Young, Jr. announced today that Helen Blackwood has been chosen as the new Mount Vernon City Court Judge.  Mayor Young also announced that City Councilmember, Loretta Hottinger, Esq. will replace Blackwood as the City’s Corporation Counsel.  The appointments will take effect on May 1, 2009.

 Ms. Blackwood, Mount Vernon’s Corporation Counsel, will replace Judge Brenda Dowery-Rodriguez, who retired in January 2009.

  “Helen Blackwood brings years of legal expertise and professionalism to the Mount Vernon City Court. Her experience and understanding of New York State laws and policy are exemplary.  As the City’s Corporation Counsel, Ms. Blackwood assembled a team of outstanding attorneys and saved the city millions in litigation fees and judgments. She is a life-long Mount Vernon resident. I am confident she will preside on the bench with integrity, fairness and compassion,” said Mayor Young.

Ms. Blackwood is the daughter of esteem former Mount Vernon Mayor Ronald Blackwood. She has served with distinction as the Mount Vernon Corporation Counsel since October 2002. She received her undergraduate degree from Colgate University.  She received her Juris Doctorate from New York Law School and an advanced degree from New York University School of Law.  In 2008, she was one of only three municipal lawyers to be selected in the listing of “New York Super Lawyers” in the area of government practice.  Ms. Blackwood currently services as first vice president of the board of directors of the Westchester County Medical Center Board; helped to establish the Mount Vernon Public Library Foundation; and is first vice president of the Westchester Black Bar Association.

 “It is my resolve to honor the trust that has been expressed in me by Mayor Young,” said Blackwood.  “The Mount Vernon City Court is a crossroads in the City where lives are changed.  This is a great responsibility and I do not take this appointment lightly, but with a determination to respect the residents of the City of Mount Vernon and serve their interests to the best of my ability in the tradition of my colleagues and those who have sat there before me.” 

 During the news conference, Mayor Young also announced that Loretta Hottinger will serve as the city’s new Corporation Counsel.  Hottinger, who currently serves on the City Council, will oversee the City’s Law Department. 

 “Loretta Hottinger has been a champion for the people and will continue to do so in her new position.  Her resume, her experience and her passion are perfectly suited to best serve the people of the City of Mount Vernon,” said Mayor Young.

 Ms. Hottinger was born in Harrisonburg, VA but was raised and educated in West Virginia, graduating from West Virginia Wesleyan College magna cum laude.  For a brief time, Ms. Hottinger was a teacher at the secondary level in her home town of Romney, West Virginia before moving to New York City in 1975. 

 After arriving in New York City, Ms. Hottinger graduated from New York Law School and was admitted to practice in New York State in 1981 and to the Federal courts shortly thereafter.  Her legal career has focused primarily on civil litigation including practice in the State and Federal court from Riverhead, Long Island to Orange County.  The majority of her trials and appellate work has been in the 5 boroughs of New York City.

In 1998, Ms. Hottinger was appointed to the Mount Vernon City Council and has served twice as its president and has been elected by the citizens to the Council four times.  Together with Councilman Steven Horton, Ms. Hottinger founded Mount Vernon Neighbors United, an umbrella organization to bring together block associations and community groups to build their capacity, improve their neighborhoods and overall strengthen the City of Mount Vernon.

“I am humbled by Mayor Clinton Young’s trust and confidence to appoint me to the position of Corporation Counsel.  I am eager to serve the citizens of Mount Vernon in this new capacity,” said Hottinger.  “In my 11 years on the City Council, I have worked closely with several Corporation Counsels.   Helen Blackwood has set a new bar of excellence in the position, so I know she will leave the office in good order.  I look forward to working with the fine staff of the Law Department in serving this great City.”

The Law Department provides legal advice to the Mayor, the City Council and all City officers and Departments.  The Law Department also represents all City agencies, such as the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The Department of Law handles all aspects of civil litigation (including personal injury, civil rights, employment-related litigation, environmental matters, tax certiorari proceedings, bankruptcy and contract claims), and administrative proceedings (including workers compensation and grievance arbitrations).  The Claims Unit of the Law Department investigates and reviews all claims for property damage and personal injury.