Former Congressman Mondaire Jones was presented the “Key to the Village” by Mayor Brian Pugh and the Village Board of Trustees at their regular meeting on March 6, 2023.
Congressman Jones represented New York’s 17th congressional district, which includes the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, from 2021 to 2023. During his time in office, Congressman Jones secured over $3.3 Million in federal funds for the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, including an additional $600,000 to help upgrade Historic Hudson Valley’s Van Cortlandt Manor property in the Village, which hosts the annual Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.
Congressman Jones joins former State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and past Croton-Cortlandt Food Pantry President Melanie Dodson as recent recipients of the “Key to the Village.” The honor has a storied history dating back to medieval times, when cities were enclosed by walls and locked gates. According to the Archives of the Mayor’s Press Office in New York City, it became customary to give a key as a direct symbol of a city’s wish that a guest feel free to come and go at will. Today, the “Key to the Village” is presented to distinguished persons for outstanding civic contribution.
