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03-11-09
Mayor Young’s Comments in Response to the Comptroller’s Attack on the Inspector General
     I would first like to give some background to the creation of the office of the Inspector General.  The Inspector General’s position was contemplated and approved before I came into office on January 1, 2008.  This position was supported and voted upon by both the city council and the comptroller.  My administration appointed Harry Stokes to assume the position of inspector general pursuant to our City Charter and to fill an already funded position in the 2008 Budget.  The Inspector General is completely independent and has the authority to investigate every department in city government, including my office.
     Now, to address the comptroller’s request to have Harry Stokes removed from his position as Inspector General.  The response to that request is unequivocally no. 
     Elected officials are not always going to agree, but Ms. Walker goes out of her way to hold the operational structure of this city hostage and in the end only harms taxpayers in reduction of service and in incurred late fees.  I am deeply disturbed that she has joined others outside of this city to give the impression around the county that Mount Vernon is mired in controversy and contentiousness.  The Comptroller claims to have a veto power over payments that she simply does not legally have.  Just two examples, just last year the city was unable to send mail for 4 days and lost internet service for several days all because of the comptroller’s failure to pay.  And furthermore, this year, the city’s insurance coverage was almost cancelled this year because the payments were not made on time. 
     The taxpayers deserve more responsible management of their dollars.  I, as mayor, have been attempting to work with the comptroller to improve these services, but have been met with resistance and in many cases mean spirited obstruction at every turn. 
     With the city’s best interest in mind, last year, I asked the State Comptroller’s Office to perform an audit of revenues of the city.  They have been here since mid-November conducting this review and we expect their findings sometime in the summer.
     Comptroller Maureen Walker is conducting herself in an overtly political way in her attempt to destabilize and undermine the progress of the City of Mount Vernon.  However, this is not uncommon for her.  She is always first to point the political finger at someone else and consistently presents herself as a political victim.
     All the comptroller seems to be interested in doing is carrying out her own agenda with utter disregard for how the failures of her office have cost the taxpayers of this city millions of dollars.  It is she who seems unqualified for the position that she currently holds.
     I have a few questions of my own:

What is the Comptroller’s substantive response to the Inspector General’s report on abuse of power?  Her statements today included no specific denouncement of any of the findings.

How is the Comptroller paying for the attorneys that she is using, one of whom is the former Chief of Staff for this city?

Why is she dedicating more time in an attempt to clear her name rather than simply recognizing the deficiencies that she has allowed to persist?

And separately:

What is her legal argument for delaying payment to contracted vendors?

Why has the Comptroller made no attempt to improve the services through the use new technology, when the opportunities have been made readily available to her?  For example – online tax payments, utilizing the MUNIS system to its fullest capabilities, or utilizing asset management software.

     Again, Comptroller Maureen Walker voted to create the position, before I came into office, as part of the City’s budget.  She now wants to remove the inspector general because she does not agree with the findings of his investigation.
     This political act is an affront to the integrity and independence of inspector generals throughout this state.  Mr. Stokes is a highly credentialed individual and I will not standby and have his reputation tarnished by the Comptroller or anyone else who is trying to undermine his position and attempt to be destructive to out city.
     Harry Stokes is extremely qualified to hold the Inspector General’s position having 18 years of trial and appellate attorney experience and 20 years of experience in Business in Line and Staff management positions, including internal and external operational performance audit experience at the Federal, State, and Local levels.  He is a Certified Inspector General by the Association of Inspectors General, and is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program, and completed the Institute of Internal Auditor’s Fraud Audit Training.  Again, Mr. Stokes is more than qualified to hold his position.
     A Statement from City Council President William Randolph:
     “The comptroller has thwarted an act of the City Council and also the will of the Board of Estimate in refusing payment to Wilson, Elser, & Moskowitz and has therefore served as an obstructionist in city government,” said City Council President William Randolph.  “She is essentially preventing, in a substantive way, the City Council from pursuing its investigative powers.  You cannot have government grind to a halt because of the opinion of one person, especially one who does not have the legal authority to overstep city ordinance.  In the end, the Comptroller is not a government unto herself.”