Acting Mount Vernon Mayor Andre Wallace began to take on mayoral duties Friday in place of former Mayor Richard Thomas.

Workers and residents have been confused about who was the mayor after Thomas rejected the City Council’s vote to replace him with Wallace.

Comptroller Deborah Reynolds says that it is official that Thomas' place in office is over, and that today he had received his last paycheck for that position.

Friday, Mayor Wallace assumed some of the responsibilities of his new position by signing checks and suspending two key advisors of former Mayor Thomas - the HR commissioner and the city's top lawyer. The lawyer is under criminal indictment for stealing more than $300,000 from the city to pay for personal legal bills of Thomas.

Mayor Wallace says he's having conversations with employees to ease the tension from the power struggle.

Political experts say they believe this dispute will end in court.

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‘I’m still the mayor’: Thomas defiant in the face of council ouster 
Questions remain over legality of City Council's removal of ex-Mayor Richard Thomas