The Westchester Guardian Thursday, April 15, 2010 PAGE 3

C i t y Ha u l
How Mt. Vernon Officials Plunder the Public Purse
By Sam Zherka Franklin Avenue, 29 Union Lane dollars. It’s criminal, and these were always losing files and cut-
In our April 1st issue, The Guard- and 12 East 3rd Street. guys should be in jail. This is why ting deals behind closed doors.
ian exposed Mt. Vernon Mayor, Tax records obtained by The Mt Vernon is the poorest city Buildings Commissioner, Ralph
Clinton Young, who has surround- Guardian reveal that Horton in Westchester County and the Tedesco, is a criminal. The city has
ed himself with criminals, includ- owes $76,889.35 in tax arrears highest-taxed city in the state,” he been looking the other way and
ing his close friend, Craig Jones, dating back to 2007. The Guard- said. covering for him for a long time. I
twice accused of raping two young ian was informed by a represen- Meanwhile, The Guardian ob- want the entire world to know.”
girls, ages thirteen and fourteen, tative of City Comptroller, Mau- tained documentation proving The Guardian spoke to several
and Director of Civil Defense, An- reen Walker, that, unless Terence that Buildings Commissioner, sources inside the Department of
toine Lowe, previously arrested on Horton pays the arrears, he will Ralph Tedesco, former treasurer Public Works who refused to be
the corner of Vista Place and West be treated like any other citizen
1st Street in Mt. Vernon for solic- in default, sued for tax foreclosure
iting an undercover vice cop pos- and his properties sold at auction.
ing as a crack-addicted prostitute. “This is the worst I have ever
seen” said John, a local business
man known to The Guardian who
refused to identify himself by last
name for fear of retaliation. “This
administration is shady and out-
right corrupt. This city is falling
apart. If Clinton Young gets re-
elected, I’m closing up my busi-
ness and leaving.” Terrence Horton - DPW Commissioner
Antoine Lowe - Civil Defense Director Horton and Department of of the Mt. Vernon Democratic named for fear of losing their jobs.
Public Works Supervisor, Rudy Committee, and a personal friend One source said he visited Hor-
The Guardian just obtained a re- Persaud, were caught red handed
cording in which Lowe threatened of the Mayor, engaged in bid rig- ton’s home and saw a white crys-
using DPW employees to do ma- ging for demolition projects ap- talline substance he believed was
our newspaper. In a conversation sonry work at their homes. Per-
with Mt. Vernon community ac- proved by the Mt. Vernon City cocaine.
saud resides at 312 East Lincoln Council.
tivist, Samuel Rivers, Lowe said: Avenue. He erected a decorative In addition, Horton stands ac-
“They’re messing with people who wall on the taxpayers’ dime with- In addition, Tedesco stands ac- cused of stealing $60,000 of paint
are crazy and don’t give a f___. out a permit from the Mt. Vernon cused by several local business- purchased by Mt. Vernon from
Other people got guns, too.” Department of Buildings. men of attempted extortion and Wakefield Paint Supplies in the
The Guardian contacted Lowe soliciting bribes. John Star, op- Bronx. The Commissioner has
for comment. He yelled “Get off erator of an African catering hall, 150 employees. Yet, for unex-
my f__ing phone” and hung up. claims Tedesco tried to shake him plained reasons, Horton person-
down for money, and when he re- ally picked up some 5,000-6,000
Mt. Vernon Commissioner fused to pay, Tedesco shut down gallon cans in a Mt. Vernon truck.
of Public Works, Terence Hor- his business then located at 46-48 The whereabouts of these cans of
ton, brother of City Councilman, Mt. Vernon Avenue. paint is presently unknown.
Steve Horton, is licensed to carry
a handgun despite having once Bobby Brown, owner of demo- Mayor Young and his adminis-
been convicted of Criminal Pos- lition contractor, Bazooka, Inc., tration act like members of disor-
session of a Firearm for which did business with Mt. Vernon for ganized crime. One wonders why
he was sentenced to three years DPW Worker at Rudy Persaud’s house many years. He told The Guard- D.A. Janet Difiore and U.S. Attor-
probation. Horton is a real estate Samuel Rivers was unequivo- ian his experience with Clinton ney Preet Bharara have not taken
developer and operates as QFI, cal in condemning the Young ad- Young’s administration has been action against this Mt. Vernon ca-
Inc. He owns several Mr. Vernon ministration’s corruption: “This “a complete nightmare.” Brown bal of criminals.
properties, including 434 and 440 is a terrible abuse of tax payers’ said of Young’s lieutenants: “They
http://www.lohud.com/article/20100415/NEWS02/4150365/Mount-Vern...
Mount Vernon DPW
supervisor accused of
misusing city services
MOUNT VERNON — A Democratic district leader has
released photographs that he says show a
Department of Public Works supervisor and city
employees doing work at the supervisor's home.
The photographs show DPW supervisor Ganga
"Rudy" Persaud, city workers and a city sewer
department van at a home that appears to be 312 E.
Lincoln Ave. The photographs were disseminated by
Samuel Rivers, a former City Council candidate, who
claims that Persaud misappropriated city services.
The photographs show unidentified workers moving
an earth-leveling machine called a tamper, standing
amid jackhammered rubble and laying pipes in the
ground. Persaud is with them. Rivers said he
received the photographs in the mail last week from
a DPW source.
Persaud did not return calls to his cell phone
regarding Rivers' allegations. Someone who
answered the phone at the home said Persaud was
not available to talk.
Public Works Commissioner Terrence Horton also
was not available to discuss the matter on Tuesday
and Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, he told a
reporter he would call later in the day, which he did
not.
The Teamsters union's shop steward in the DPW,
Harold Winbush, said city workers appeared in the
pictures because they were picking up the city-
owned tamper with the city vehicle and only private
employees worked at Persaud's residence. He said
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Persaud had "borrowed" the piece of equipment.
The pictures are undated; Rivers said they were
taken last year. He said at a news conference
Tuesday that he had not turned them over to city
officials but planned to present them to the City
Council at its meeting Wednesday night.
City tax records indicate the tax bills for 312 E.
Lincoln Ave. are sent to Ganga and Mintra Persaud.
The home's tax payments are current, and the city's
Buildings Department has no recent work permits on
file for that property.
On Wednesday, Mayor Clinton Young's chief of staff,
Yolanda Robinson, who had seen the images, said
that no one had formally presented the photographs
to the mayor's office or made an official complaint.
"These allegations will be turned over to the
inspector general, and let the chips fall where they
may," said Robinson, suggesting the incident
underscores the need for an inspector general
position.
Earlier this year, the City Council voted to eliminate
the office of Inspector General Harry Stokes. The
mayor vetoed the resolution. The City Council was
expected to vote to override Young's veto at its
Wednesday night meeting.
Stokes did not return a call about the DPW matter.
Rivers' complaint about Persaud echoes complaints
made last year about city DPW crews repairing
sidewalks near Horton's properties. Robinson said
that the city found no wrongdoing by Horton in that
matter because the city had letters from residents in
the area requesting new sidewalks.
4/17/2010 3:25 PM
http://www.lohud.com/article/20100415/NEWS02/4150365/Mount-Vern... http://www.lohud.com/fdcp/?1271532181304

Meanwhile, Horton's property at 343 Franklin Ave.,

near the disputed new sidewalk, is almost three
years behind on school, city and county taxes —
with $31,851.07 owed to the city. Horton is also
almost three years behind on taxes for his property
at 12 E. 3rd St., for which he owes $35,044.18.

Robinson declined to comment on Horton's tax

arrears, calling them a personal matter.

A Mount Vernon Sewer Department vehicle is parked next to

city-owned earth tampers at 312 E. Lincoln Ave in Mount Vernon,
the home of Rudy Persaud, Department of Public Works
supervisor, in this photo submitted by Mount Vernon Democratic
district leader Samuel Rivers.

A Mount Vernon Sewer Department vehicle is parked next to

city-owned earth tampers at 312 E. Lincoln Ave in Mount Vernon,
the home of Rudy Persaud, Department of Public Works
supervisor, in this photo submitted by Mount Vernon Democratic
district leader Samuel Rivers. (Samuel Rivers)

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