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Report: Mount Vernon Mayor's Dubai Trip May Cost City Over $10K

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. - A trip to Dubai for Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas will cost more than $10,000 to the city, according to a lohud report.

Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas

Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas

Photo Credit: Contributed

In an effort to make Mount Vernon “the smartest city,” Thomas traveled to Dubai to attend the World Economic Forum’s “Forum on Future Cities: City Preparedness for the 4th Industrial Revolution,” which is being held on Monday.

Last week, the city’s Industrial Development Agency - which Thomas is chair of - approved a $12,000 spending limit for the trip, according to a lohud report. He has also reportedly traveled to Jamaica and nearly a dozen other states during his tenure as mayor.

Thomas said he was one of two mayors at the conference, joining Ossama Fadul al-Bar, who is the mayor of Makkah. Thomas said that “as a member of the World Economic Forum’s transportation committee, (he) is active in the international organization’s efforts to prepare cities to best leverage new technology to better serve constituents.

“Continued engagement on the world stage is leading to transformative change for Mount Vernon as our partnerships with renowned thought leaders deepen and our reputation grows stronger,” he added.

“The mission to bring jobs back to Mount Vernon is moving forward. Our vision for a globally competitive community will be shared with world leaders in business and industry at the World Economic Forum. We will leverage this opportunity to develop new relationships to create a stronger local economy and increase sales tax revenue. We are honored to play a role in shaping the future of cities and will continue to lead Mount Vernon toward becoming the Smartest City.”

Thomas was joined by his wife on the trip, though officials made note that she and the mayor were paying for her airfare.

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