Politics on the Hudson

Five Mount Vernon candidates running for school board trustees are planning on holding a series of flash mobs on Saturday to collect signatures. A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief period of time, then quickly disperse. The candidates, Maria Aniero, Derrick Claye, Sean Fenton, Charles Stern and Michelle Walker, have formed a coalition called Better Schools Now. Stern and Claye are incumbents.  The candidates won’t be doing anything that unusual, they are collecting petitions, but they are using a grassroots form of campaigning not previously used before for a school board race.   They will be collecting signatures at the following locations from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dunkin Donuts on Sandford Boulevard; the A&P on Grand Street; the Stop & Shop on Sandford Boulevard; the Pathmark at Third Street and the McDonald’s on Gramatan Avenue.