The Rise Up Mount Vernon PAC is no longer just a political curiosity—it’s a case study in how outside money manipulates Black communities under the guise of progress. Our previous investigation revealed that Rise Up Mount Vernon is a registered Political Action Committee financed partly by a $25,000 personal contribution from developer Rella Fogliano, after she had already donated $30,000 to the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee in 2023 and 2024. These aren’t random campaign donations—they are calculated political investments meant to dominate both sides of the ballot and steer city elections from behind the scenes.
Even more troubling is the overwhelming silence from Mount Vernon’s Democratic leadership. To date, only one Democratic-nominated candidate—City Comptroller Darren Morton—has had the courage to publicly denounce the Rise Up Mount Vernon PAC. Just one. Black Westchester reached out to the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee Chair to inquire whether the other two candidates on the party’s official slate, Cathlin Gleason and Danielle Brown, would also issue statements distancing themselves from the PAC. As of this writing, neither has issued a formal public denouncement. More importantly, both have yet to send out a statement addressing the unauthorized use of their names and likenesses in Rise Up Mount Vernon campaign materials—a move that could mislead voters into thinking they are aligned with a PAC they have not endorsed. The silence is deafening—and in a race already clouded by outside influence and developer money, that silence feels less like caution and more like complicity.
In a city that is overwhelmingly Black, working class, and still reeling from years of governmental mismanagement, political instability, and the erosion of public trust, this refusal to speak out in the face of developer-funded interference isn’t just disappointing—it’s dangerous. It begs a deeper question: Are our leaders truly accountable to the people who elect them, or to the developers quietly bankrolling their opposition? Because if candidates backed by the Democratic Party can’t denounce a PAC funded by the same developer who donated to their own committee, what exactly are they standing for? The people of Mount Vernon deserve clarity, not candidates who remain silent while outside money reshapes the ballot and undermines the party structure they claim to represent.
To understand the scope of this political manipulation, one must look at Kenneth Plummer, a longtime operative at the center of this influence network. According to Democratic City Committee Chair, Mary Graves, Plummer brokered the 2023 donation from Rella Fogliano to the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee on behalf of Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard. That same donor is now financing a new political line—Rise Mount Vernon—that is running directly against the party’s candidates. Plummer, who still holds the title of District Leader, reportedly no longer lives in Mount Vernon but in White Plains. If true, this violates New York State Public Officers Law § 3 and Election Law § 2-110, requiring public officers and district leaders to reside in their jurisdictions. Legal consequences could include removal from office.
Plummer’s ethical issues don’t stop there. In 2012, the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) found that Plummer, president of DiRA Consulting, violated the Lobbying Act by failing to register as a lobbyist while seeking approval for real estate projects in Mount Vernon. He admitted to the violations and paid a $2,000 fine. A decade later, he is allegedly once again acting as an unregistered lobbyist, reportedly trying to secure state funds for developers. Black Westchester has also received multiple calls alleging that Plummer is now operating in Peekskill and using the same playbook. We are actively investigating those claims.
What should raise further concern is the content of the official Rise Up Mount Vernon PAC registration. Filed with the New York State Board of Elections, the treasurer is listed as Mark Hanna of Brooklyn, and the PAC’s banking institution is a TD Bank branch in Brooklyn. The individual listed as having operational control over the PAC is Tiara Kathleen McIntosh, who resides in Mount Vernon. However, no public explanation regarding her background, role, or interest in shaping Mount Vernon’s elections has been provided. Who are these individuals, and what is their connection to the community? What interest do they have in Mount Vernon or other Black communities throughout Westchester County?
On May 16, 2025, the same day Rise Up Mount Vernon was officially registered as a Political Action Committee with the New York State Board of Elections, Rella Fogliano’s $25,000 personal donation to the PAC was also recorded. This timing is no coincidence—it’s proof of a coordinated and deliberate effort to influence the outcome of Mount Vernon’s local elections. The synchronized filing and funding make it clear that this PAC was never a grassroots initiative—it was a premeditated political operation designed to give developers like Rella unfettered access to City Hall, city-owned properties, and zoning decisions. This was not community-driven politics; it was a calculated move to reshape the power structure of Mount Vernon in favor of outside financial interests.
This is not grassroots activism—it is a Brooklyn-based political apparatus planting itself in Black cities, trying to influence elections with outside money and inside operatives. It’s a dangerous trend, especially when combined with massive developer donations and a community that has endured decades of political neglect. If this PAC model is allowed to continue unchecked, Mount Vernon may only be the beginning. Peekskill could be next.
The same developer who helped bankroll this PAC is responsible for one of the most unattractive and oversized buildings in Mount Vernon—a structure widely regarded by residents as both an architectural disgrace and a threat to public safety. But this building’s problems go far beyond its appearance. It has become a hub for relocating sex offenders, individuals with severe mental illness, and people battling addiction, many of whom are not from Mount Vernon but have been transported from across New York City. The property now functions as a containment site for vulnerable and unstable populations, creating a surge in police calls for suicides, drug overdoses, and behavioral disturbances.
This crisis isn’t new. When former Mayor Andre Wallace was in office, he threatened legal action against then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to stop the quiet relocation of troubled populations into Mount Vernon. The pressure worked—for a while. But once Wallace left office, the practice resumed almost immediately. Under the cover of political transition, the city again became a dumping ground for the homeless, mentally ill, and even children with predatory offenses, placing enormous stress on the local police, EMS, and school systems, with Rella’s building at the center of the madness.
Imagine a city overrun with more box-like, soulless buildings—completely detached from Mount Vernon’s historic character, community integrity, and public safety framework. These developments are not about community revitalization but zoning manipulation, tax incentives, and guaranteed profit margins for developers. Meanwhile, the residents are left to shoulder the cost in the form of higher crime, overwhelmed emergency services, and collapsing property values.
The bigger problem is that these political games are played with little transparency. The Rise Up Mount Vernon PAC is designed to look like a local movement, but is nothing of the sort. It is developer-driven, Brooklyn-registered, and supported by people with little to no history of actual community investment in Mount Vernon. When a PAC can emerge out of nowhere, funded by big money and supported by silence from city leaders, the people should be deeply alarmed.
This is not a campaign—it is political gentrification. The illusion of voter choice collapses when outside developers fund the city committee and a new opposition slate. Whether you vote for the old or new names, if they’re both bankrolled by the same interests, the result is the same: policies shaped in backrooms, not living rooms.
Black Westchester has long maintained that political silence is complicity. Suppose you’re running for office in Mount Vernon or elsewhere in Westchester and can’t publicly reject developer-controlled PACs. In that case, you’re not running for the people but for your funders. Mount Vernon’s future is not just about buildings, ballots, or budget lines. It’s about whether this city’s residents—especially its Black working-class families—will have the power to choose their leaders, shape their neighborhoods, and hold public servants accountable.
If outside money is allowed to define the field and silence the players, the people will remain locked out of the game. And if the Rise Up Mount Vernon slate wins in silence, the community loses in shame.
