Vote Row 3A on Tuesday, May 19

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Where has all the money been going? Why is city hall sitting on millions of dollars, besides the fact that it can collect the interest piling up in the bank? "Late payments" to the school district = stolen money.

Waiting for city hall to decide to forward the funds is not responsible financial management.

At the NAACP Forum on Thursday, April 30, hosted by the Greater Centennial church, I was told directly that I was spreading fiction, and that the city is NOT in arrears to the school district. 

Let's stick with the facts, I was told, and I agree.

The city owes the school district a LOT of money.

I'm done with the lies.

I ask: "Who is getting how much money, and when?" Only an outside expert can get us ALL that information. Someone who cannot be bought and made into a puppet. A licensed, seasoned professional who knows exactly the right questions to ask. Paying for this audit is money WELL spent because we will GET OUR MONEY BACK and RESTORE TIMELY CASH FLOW OF PROPERTY TAXES.

FACT: This city administration is several years behind in timely payments to the school district, so why should there be a tax increase when there are millions of dollars not being transferred to where it belongs?

Mount Vernon's own public figure-turned child predator was sent to Valhalla Jail around this time last year certainly is not the only one of his sick club among us, especially in a city of this size. Statistically, it is impossible. Who are the others and whom are they targeting? (And do I need to mention the concern about a particular video of a school district employee interacting with a BOCES employee that went unaddressed by anyone besides concerned parents for quite some time?)

As for financial parasites, we know about a certain past superintendent's wildly unethical and illegal financial actions. It seems she has not yet faced legal consequences. She isn't the only one who has done this type of thing in the city, and the public deserves to see the financial parasites exposed.

Many of us know about the gang violence, fighting in the hallways and bathrooms, and drug trafficking. We need stronger measures to prevent these problems, starting with the right education and training of students and the adults responsible for their safety. 

Statistically, one predator is grooming and/or abusing 5-100 children at any given time. How many other targeted kids have not yet stepped forward, and WHY? How many other predators are working in the shadows right under our noses?

ONE STUDENT ABUSED, SEXTORTED, OR MURDERED IS ONE TOO MANY.

How many of our children have "run away" in the past few years, never to be seen again? Why does a girl voluntarily get into a car and disappear? Our children nationwide are being targeted by the world's cartels from computer rooms outside of America. Professionals are luring our children into sex trafficking, both online and in real life or "IRL." Even after years, many parents and legal guardians still don't have a clue.

Nationwide, we see girls in high school grooming girls in middle school for sex work. The average age of a sex trafficked person is....14. Some are even YOUNGER.

Clinical research shows that adults with diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, cancer, high blood pressure, are highly likely to also be survivors of childhood trauma.

Unhealed trauma is a public health problem because it decreases quality of life when the trauma happens, and for years afterwards in post-traumatic stress. I speak from experience and have learned tools that will help others.

Child trauma includes housing instability, food insecurity, foster care, group homes, and domestic violence. WE are part of the problem if we are not willing to discuss these issues openly and work towards solutions.

My major was in marketing, minor in psychology.

I enjoyed the creative work in advertising agencies, working with artists.

I understand the strategy of setting goals and then breaking down the process to reach them.

This MPH is like an MBA focused on non-profit organizations in the multi-cultural and multi-lingual environment. 

I got a double emphasis in 1) health promotion and education and 2) international health and was a regional county director for the 800-NO-BUTTS stop smoking program in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Korean.

My business background and program planning/evaluation training suited me well as a trustee of the Mount Vernon Public Library from December 2022 to June 2023, and it was a pleasure serving with fellow trustees Ron Hood and James Carlos. I learned a lot about the issues in Mount Vernon during that time (you could say I saw "behind the curtain), and I will be building on that to serve as school district trustee.

I've taught many kids in Mount Vernon over the years through Y-COP and the Boys and Girls Club of Mount Vernon. 

I use music and poetry to teach them to identify and resist child predators to help them stay safe.

From 2018 to 2023, every Tuesday at 10 AM I hosted my show, "Speaking of Wellness." For a  hot minute I carried Joe Parisi's torch forward with the Mount Vernon Post, but put it on ice when 2020 rolled in. I'm not sure if I will re-launch it, but I continue to work for the community's highest good in new ways.

I've worked in Thailand, Viet Nam, and India with the:

• Church of Nazerene,
• the Roman Catholic Church, and 
• local and national government organizations.

I have worked to: 

• fit deaf kids with hearing aids, 
• run village health clinics, 
• interview sex workers wanting to escape that form of slavery, 
• and advocated for diabetes screening and treatment.

I am giving talks in libraries, community centers, and youth organizations to help kids escape the predators who would turn them into sex workers both online and in real life.

I talk with kids but also with their parents, grandparents, teachers, and community leaders to create a safer world where strangers from anywhere can start conversations with our children through an online game or other app.

For more information about this, check out MillionKids.org. Opal Singleton has been very kind to encourage my efforts to educate lawmakers, community leaders, families, and kids.

I understand how trauma can impact the quality of life for decades after. As a child of the 1970s, I didn't have the tools, services, or support that are available today. I was sexually assaulted by a classmate in 6th grade, and even though I reported it, nothing happened to him. Later on, I survived domestic violence (with someone else) that turned me black and blue. The emotional wounds were even deeper and the scars are invisible.  We cannot look at anyone and assume they have always had a charmed life. There may be great suffering next door we do not know about.

Part of my legacy is to protect kids from predators and to empower those kids to grow into their dreams and future happiness.

It's a difficult discussion to start, and I am not here to point fingers. But, I am willing to stand up for the kids who don't have anyone standing up for them until more adults learn what is going on and decide to address this new internet-based era of child sextortion.

I worked with a few kids to create a talent show for their friends. They learned how to plan a performance, breathe through stage fright, and enjoy entertaining their friends. I brought in live musicians to back them up and it was excellent. The performers were singing, dancing, and laughing.

We had so much fun!

This helps build confidence and encourages them to continue learning more about music, dance, and public speaking.

Music and Dance Talent Show

I worked with a few kids who worked hard to put together a talent show for their friends. Just like at Y-COP, I brought in live musicians to back the kids up as they sang and danced.

This helps kids in the audience understand that if they put their minds to it, they can do it too, even though it seems too scary and impossible. Learning to see themselves in new ways is an important skill as they make decisions about the future.

This event was a few years ago and deserves its own space here.

Three of the boys teamed up to learn the words to a song written by my friend Chris E. Robinson: 

"Safe And Sound In Our Town"

He was commissioned to educate kids aged 4-8 in an age-appropriate way on how to resist predators. 

These boys learned all the lyrics and performed the song, complete with their own dance steps, with a live jazz duo backing them up with a funky, hip-hop beat.

There was a wall of iPhones recording them, and well over 300 grown-ups joined in the call and response. The boys sang, "SAFE AND SOUND" and the entire room responded, "IN OUR TOWN."

What a memorable part of the evening it was!

Statistics tell us that approximately 60% of the residents at the Valhalla Jail have a Mount Vernon address for their release. Re-entry programs in South Westchester County help make sure these folks have a housing and food security upon their release. The programs in the jail also help residents to heal from post traumatic stress injury, learn new emotional management skills, and move into a new life that is productive, happy, and high-quality.

This is my eleventh year teaching there. I use the American Songbook music and poetry as the a way to help them redirect their bad days into something better, and the last workshop is a talent show where everyone performs for each other. The traditional grand finale number is "Stand By Me." 

This program was created to honor the life and memories of Kalief Browder.

As a public health professional, I focus on preventing the preventable with education and appropriate action to increase the community's quality of life.

As a woman of faith, I believe that Light and Love always, always win, but we do have to do the work. May God protect us from those who want to stop us from doing the right things.

As a lover of humanity and not a fighter against it, I also realize that sometimes we have to stand up and fight for what we love. In my case, I love the children in our community and want them to have as many opportunities as possible. 

I'm delivering talks on holistic wellness, nutrition, ancient wisdom meeting current technology, and child safety from sextortion online and in real life.

Thank you.

If I am elected, I will work to create advisory groups throughout the city so I can have direct communication with all different types of stakeholders.

Not only the students, but their parents, the staff, faculty, faith community leaders,  business owners, law enforcement on all levels, mental health professionals, educators and administrators throughout Westchester County, NYC, and beyond.

We don't need to re-invent the wheel. 

One phrase I hardly ever hear in Mount Vernon is

"BEST PRACTICES."

Another is 

"LESSONS LEARNED."

Many mistakes have been made in Mount Vernon but my hope is that we can get back on track and bring back the well-deserved pride in our library, schools, and community that this city once enjoyed.