It’s that time of the year again in Mount Vernon, School Board Trustee election time. The year the election takes place Tuesday, May 16th and three seats are up for grab. Two incumbents, Darthea “Darcy” Miller and Omar McDowell re-running to retain their seat with a newcomer, Edward “Ed” Poteat added to their ticket. They face stiff competition from the other ticket made up of Arlene Torres, Israel “Yac” Williams and Stanley Russo. This is an introduction to the Miller/ McDowell/ Poteat ticket, first to make their official announcement. We are inviting both tickets to come on People Before Politics Radio in the upcoming weeks before the election to give you a chance to hear from all the candidates so you can make an informed decision on May 16th.
Mount Vernon School Board Trustees Darthea “Darcy” Miller and Omar McDowell officially announced their intention to run for re-election in order to continue working on the plan that they initiated three years ago, with the hiring of Dr. Ken Hamilton and his team to revitalize our school district. Joining them on their ticket is Edward “Ed” Poteat, who is seeking to fill the spot presently held by Charmaine Fearon, who is not seeking re-election. This announcement was made on Saturday, March 25, 2017, at a Campaign Kick-off Event held at the Enclave Café on South Fifth Avenue.
In the three years that Darcy Miller and Omar McDowell served on the board, the school district’s fiscal standing has been upgraded from A2 to A1 by Moody’s Investor Services and tax-payers have experienced two consecutive years of 0% increase in school tax levy.
In 2014 the team created a new communications strategy to better inform the public resulting in the reintroduction of the District Newsletter and renovation of the District Website. In 2015 Darcy, and Omar played leading roles in the development of the “20/20 vision” strategy and its supporting communications plan paving the way for the successful $108M School Bond vote in early 2016, according to their press release.
“I am excited about joining this successful team as a School Board Trustee,” states candidate Ed Poteat. “The programs which have been established under Dr. Hamilton’s dynamic leadership have set the Mount Vernon School District on a course toward success. These achievements need to continue and I commit to work tirelessly with Omar and Darcy for the best future for our children.”
The press release goes on Darcy Miller and Omar McDowell numerous community projects over the past three years that the two trustees have led and participated in including:
- Initiated the Junior League monthly food pantry giveaways
- Initiated Family Wellness, Health and Exercise Events
- Planned and led information sessions on the “20/20 Vision” Strategy
- Raised over $10,000 for Nooks for Mount Vernon School Children in support of the Superintendent’s 2017 Reading Challenge
Edward Poteat has a background in banking and real estate and is an adjunct Professor at Columbia University. He holds a BA in Economics from Yale University and an MA from Hunter College. Ed has devoted many hours working for social justice and understands the crucial importance of education to the future of our children.
The election for Mount Vernon School Board Trustees is Tuesday, May 16th.
AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief of Black Westchester and Co-Owner of Urban Soul Media Group, the parent company, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show. AJ is a Father, Brother, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Hip-Hop Artist - one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist whose byline has appeared in several print publications and online sites including The Source, Vibe, the Village Voice, Upscale, Sonicnet.com, Launch.com, Rolling Out Newspaper, Daily Challenge Newspaper, Spiritual Minded Magazine, Word Up! Magazine, On The Go Magazine and several others.
