Over the past few years, you have heard one elected official or another interpreting the City Charter, sometime in their own favor. Many flaws in the outdated Charter have been exposed over the past few years. It is in desperate need for revision.

Earlier this year the Charter Revision Commission was formed and Derrickson Lawrence, the CEO of MarketView Resources who ran for Congress and served as a vice-chairman of the Westchester County Charter Revision Commission was appointed Chairman.

The Commission will be holding two public hearings Thursday, August 1st at the Mount Vernon Public Library and the Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education (see notice below).

In addition to Lawrence, the commission is made of a group of diverse residents including, Vice-Chair Michael Templeton, retired lawyer; co-Vice Chair W. Dwight McLeod, business process re-engineer; Secretary Vanessa Ridder, marketing/music school owner; Jesse Askew, marketing executive; Paul Avery, commercial real estate; Anitra Hadley, business management; Kevin Cullen, corporate banker; Michael Justino, president of the Fleetwood Neighborhood Association and former chairman, city Planning Board; Franklyn Williamson, pastor/New York City schoolteacher/former software engineer;  Mary Kingsley, real estate broker/former teacher; Eileen Lambert, human resources director; and Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, sustainability consultant.

Stay tuned to Black Westchester for more information on the commission and the proposed revisions to the city charter!