In Mount Vernon, one homeowner’s fight against an eight-story building constructed just inches from her family’s house is more than a personal dispute. It is a case study in how government shouldn’t work for the people—and yet, it is the government people keep voting for.
The zoning board and planning board limited this project to a single lot. Those limits were clear and public. Yet just two months later, the Building Department issued a permit expanding the project to cover additional lots—without authorization. That was not a clerical error; it was government overriding its own rules. And when rules are bent for some, they are broken for all.
If this sounds familiar, it should. Dysfunction in Mount Vernon is not new—it is history repeating itself. The city has seen mayoral convictions, council–mayor gridlock, budgets left unsigned, and even garbage piling up on the streets when political fights paralyzed basic services. For decades, City Hall has operated as though accountability is optional. The result is predictable: when accountability is optional, abuse of power becomes inevitable.
The silence we see today is part of that pattern. Citizens complain on Facebook. Neighbors trade stories of frustration. But inside City Hall, little changes. Why? Because outrage on social media is not a substitute for civic engagement, and “liking” a complaint online is not the same as holding officials accountable at the ballot box. Thomas Sowell often reminded us that when the costs of decisions are not borne by those who make them, dysfunction thrives. Mount Vernon has been living proof of that truth for decades.
That is why I hope Dina Perriello follows through. She still has options—even if late in the game. She can file an Article 78 petition in state court to challenge the permit as unlawful, pursue a civil lawsuit for nuisance, trespass, or damages to her property value, seek federal relief under 42 U.S.C. §1983 if her due process rights were violated, or request a state investigation into how permits were issued beyond the scope of board approvals.
These are not easy steps. They take persistence, resources, and often years of litigation. But history tells us one thing: without citizens who press the law, bureaucracies do not correct themselves.
Mount Vernon’s Financial Trap: No Bond Rating + Self-Insured
Here is where the problem becomes bigger than one family’s yard. Mount Vernon no longer has a bond rating. A bond rating is a city’s credit score, the measure that allows municipalities to borrow money at affordable rates when emergencies arise. Because of years of missed audits, financial mismanagement, and political dysfunction, Mount Vernon has no credit. If the city tries to borrow, lenders either refuse or demand sky-high interest. In practical terms, Mount Vernon cannot borrow its way out of trouble.
At the same time, Mount Vernon is essentially self-insured. Most cities carry liability insurance: if they are sued and lose, the insurance company covers the cost. Mount Vernon doesn’t have that option. Because of its poor finances, every lawsuit settlement or judgment must be paid directly from the city’s operating budget — the same pool that funds police, sanitation, schools, and parks.
When you combine no credit with no insurance, the picture is dire. Every lawsuit drains the city’s core services or forces tax increases on already overburdened residents. There is no cushion, no safety net, no insurance pool to spread the risk. The city is one paycheck away from broke, and every court loss is another step toward collapse.
What Happens If Perriello Wins
If Ms. Perriello pursues her case in court and prevails, the cost will not be borne by the mayor, the building department, or the developer who benefited from the city’s broken process. It will be borne by the taxpayers. Mount Vernon can respond only in three ways: cut services, raise taxes, or plead for a bailout from Albany. Whichever path it takes, the people who suffer are ordinary residents.
This is how government should not work. But it is also the government voters themselves have tolerated. When citizens settle for personality politics, patronage networks, and last-minute Facebook rants instead of demanding competent leadership, they should not be surprised when the city goes silent in the face of injustice.
The lesson is not simply about one building project gone wrong. It is about decades of tolerance for mismanagement, corruption, and weak leadership. Until the people of Mount Vernon decide that silence is no longer acceptable—that complaints online must translate into consequences at the polls—the same cycle will continue.
If you want better government, start by voting for better people.
