MOUNT VERNON, NY — As Mount Vernon continues to grapple with a series of controversies affecting public confidence in city government, City Councilman André Wallace is calling for transparency, accountability, and a renewed commitment to restoring trust in local leadership. In a public letter titled “Putting Mount Vernon First!”, Wallace warned that the city’s reputation and financial future are being damaged by ongoing investigations, arrests, and questions surrounding government leadership.
Wallace’s statement comes just days after the arrest of Mount Vernon Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Lackard, who was charged in connection with an alleged conspiracy involving her son following a June shooting outside the Bronx Criminal Courthouse. The arrest of one of the city’s highest-ranking public safety officials has generated statewide attention and renewed scrutiny of leadership, oversight, and accountability within the Mount Vernon Police Department.
Rather than focusing on any one individual, Wallace framed the issue as part of a broader pattern affecting the city’s ability to move forward.
“Our city has experienced a series of events in recent weeks that should concern every resident, every taxpayer, every business owner, and every public servant,” Wallace wrote. He noted that Mount Vernon is increasingly making headlines “about investigations, arrests, controversy, and questions surrounding leadership and accountability” instead of opportunity, economic development, and neighborhood revitalization.
According to Wallace, those headlines have consequences beyond politics.
He warned that investors, banks, bond rating agencies, and businesses looking to invest all pay attention to a city’s public image. Every negative headline, he said, chips away at public confidence and makes it harder—and more expensive—for Mount Vernon to borrow money, attract investment, and secure partnerships that benefit residents.
As Chairman of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, Wallace said public confidence is not optional. He argued that every decision involving public safety, financial management, personnel, or ethics reflects on the entire city and that government must be transparent, accountable, and focused on serving the people rather than protecting politics.
Wallace also praised the city’s hardworking public employees—including police officers, firefighters, teachers, sanitation workers, and other municipal staff—saying they deserve leadership that reflects the same professionalism and integrity they demonstrate every day.
He concluded by pledging to continue asking difficult questions and working to restore public confidence in city government.
“The people of Mount Vernon deserve a government they can believe in and leaders who understand that public office is a public trust,” Wallace wrote. “Our city is stronger than the headlines. But restoring that strength will require humility, honesty, and a renewed commitment to ethical leadership from every level of government.”
For many residents, Wallace’s letter captures a growing concern that the arrest of Deputy Commissioner Lackard is not simply about one criminal case, but about the broader need to restore confidence in Mount Vernon’s leadership and ensure that accountability begins at the highest levels of city government.
