What began as a Sunday service at Friendship Worship Center turned into a bold political and spiritual charge, as Archbishop C. Nathan Edwers used the Father’s Day platform to endorse three prominent local candidates: retired Police Lieutenant and former PBA President Nicholas Mastrogiorgio, former Mayor André Wallace, and sitting Mount Vernon City Court Judge Peter Davis.
Opening with a sobering truth — “One in three Black men will be incarcerated in their lifetime, compared to one in seventeen white men” — Bishop Edwers reminded the congregation that their silence at the ballot box equates to consent. “We’ve been taught to hate ourselves,” Edwers shared with the congregation. “But it’s a new day. And we thank God for this new day.”
Bishop Edwers emphasized the urgency of supporting male leadership in local government. “I’m not casting shade, I love the ladies,” he said, “but we need some men on that council. If all three women win, we’ll be left with just one man. That’s not balance.”
Nick Mastrogiorgio, a lifelong Mount Vernon resident, former police officer, and union president, spoke of his commitment to bridging gaps between law enforcement and the community. “Instead of sitting back and complaining, I stood up,” Mastrogiogio said. “I was the first union president to reach out to the United Black Clergy. We need unity again in Mount Vernon.”
André Wallace, former mayor, former city councilman, and longtime businessman, addressed what he sees as a fight for the city’s soul. “They’ve removed my face from campaign posters,” Wallace warned. “Developers are spending hundreds of thousands to block me because I know where the money is and what they’re trying to do. Our city is over half a billion dollars in debt. They want our land, and they’re trying to sell us out.”
Judge Peter Davis, a 31-year legal veteran and current city court judge, cautioned against overlooking qualified male judicial leadership. “If I’m voted out, there will be no full-time male judges left in Mount Vernon. You don’t see me often because most of you don’t end up in court — and that’s a good thing. But I’ve served, prosecuted, defended, and done hundreds of pro bono cases for this community.”
He concluded with a spiritual moment, referencing a tragic plane crash in India with only one survivor, seated in 11A — the same seat number listed on his ballot line. “I got chills,” Judge Davis continued. “We are survivors. I am a survivor. And I’m here to keep serving.”
Bishop Edwers closed with a reminder that inclusion must go both ways. “We don’t want to repeat the mistake of excluding women. But we also don’t want to be excluded. Let’s be one people — Black, brown, white, yellow — working together to build a safe, strong, and united Mount Vernon.”
