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The Mount Vernon City Council ousted Andre Wallace from the position of acting mayor and replaced him with Interim City Council President Lisa Copeland.
The vote was reportedly by a 4 to 1 margin and makes Copeland the third person to sit in the mayor’s seat in less than a month.
The carousel began on Monday, July 8, when former Mayor Richard Thomas pleaded guilty to misappropriating nearly $13,000 in campaign funds and then went on to lie about them on government papers. He was originally scheduled to resign as of Sept. 30.
Two days after Thomas’ plea, citing a clause in the City Council, the City Council removed him from office and appointed then-City Council President Andre Wallace to take over the position, with Council Member Lisa Copeland taking over as interim President of the Council.
Thomas remained in the mayor’s office, despite the protestations of Wallace and the Council, before a judge ruled against his claim to the position on Wednesday, July 31, making Wallace the mayor.
The City Hall circus took another turn on Friday, Aug. 2, when the City Council held a special meeting and voted Copeland and ousted Wallace just days after he officially and formally took over in Mount Vernon.
With one shoe dropping, it will now be up to Wallace to see if he challenges the City Council’s vote in court. This is a developing story - check Daily Voice for updates on the mayoral mayhem.
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