Lawsuits and subpoenas have been dished out on both sides as the battle between Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas and the City Council rages on, and now a longtime Democratic city leader is weighing in and calling for calm.

The political roots of Westchester Board of Elections Democratic Commissioner Reggie Lafayette run deep in Mount Vernon's politics. He's served 18 years in City Hall, with 15 years as a clerk and three years as a deputy, and he's currently the chair of the city's Democratic Committee.

Since Mayor Thomas took office in January, he's had a number of public clashes with the City Council over many issues ranging from fire department staffing levels to him changing the locks of City Hall without telling anyone.

Tensions reached a new high on Thursday when Thomas sued the entire City Council, asking a state Supreme Court judge to stop members from issuing municipal checks without his signature, and targeting appointees who the council claims do not meet the city's residency requirements.

"Of course it's embarrassing," Lafayette says. "It would be embarrassing to any city." He adds that situations like this only hurt residents. "Court battles, lawsuits cost the city in the long run. The losers will be the people."

Lafayette tells News 12 that he's willing to sit down with both sides to help work out a compromise. He insists it will be free, which he says would be considerably less costly than duking it out in court.