Dems Demand Board Break 'Silence' On Alleged BOE Voter Fraud

SOUTHOLD, NY — Two weeks after news broke that two North Fork Board of Election employees, and members of the Southold Town Republican Committee, were among four who'd been charged in a case involving alleged forged signatures on nominating petitions during the 2018 election — some of which were from individuals who are deceased— Southold Democrats appeared before the town board Tuesday and demanded they break their silence on the arrests.

William Mann, 60, of Cutchogue, a Board of Elections employee, was charged with second degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a felony; first degree offering a false instrument for filing, a felony; and two counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor, Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said.

Mann is alleged to have submitted nominating petitions for Green Party judicial candidates containing three forged signatures, including one signature of a resident who is deceased, Sini said.

Gregory Dickerson, 55, of Mattituck, a Board of Elections employee, was charged with two counts of second degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a felony, and two counts of first degree offering a false instrument for filing, a felony, Sini said.

Dickerson is alleged to have submitted two nominating petition forms for Green Party judicial candidates containing two forged signatures, Sini said.

Greenport Village Trustee Doug Roberts addressed the Southold Town board: "How can it happen here? We all read with horror stories about election fraud and disenfranchisement around the country. But that kind of thing couldn’t happen here, where we live, right? Not in our hometown, right?" he asked. "Well, it did. Two people arrested and charged with trying to steal an election, including misrepresenting themselves, while on the clock as Board of Elections employees, as Green Party members getting signatures for candidates. Forging signatures of deceased people. Here. In Southold. These two gentlemen had political patronage positions by virtue of their membership on the Southold Republican Committee. The same committee that put everybody on the dais here on the ballot."

He added: "Perhaps none of you were aware of what Mr. Mann was allegedly up to. I’d really like to believe that. Yet when all this went down, you were mute. Silent. As if you have something to hide. Is that the kind of activity you all want to support? Because by remaining silent on all this, you are complicit," Roberts said. "Please, end your silence on the election fraud issue. Stand up for ethics and for justice."

He also said that the Southold town board "does some pretty un-Republican things. You raise taxes every year and give yourselves raises."

Kathryn Casey Quigley, Southold Town Democratic Party Chairwoman also spoke. "It is appalling that these arrests happened two full weeks ago, their actions have been reported on and known for many months, and none of you, no one on the town board, has said a word publicly to so much as expressing concern, condemning their actions, or calling for an investigation into your own party to ensure that these fraudulent behaviors don't run more deeply," she said, adding that she was not "implying that you played a role in this fraud. However, your subsequent failure to speak out on these actions once they came to light — actions that erode voters' trust in our democratic systems — makes each of you complicit."

Ted Thirlby, a Southold resident, agreed. "Why have you, as elected officials of the town, made no public statement about this matter? . . .You now have a responsibility to represent the best interests of everyone in Southold. An obvious part of that responsibility would be to make sure that our local elections are free from fraud and meddling."

Thirlby asked the board to take a public position on the charges and that they request Sini to investigate further into the workings of the Southold Town Republican Committee.

The board made no comment at the meeting, something Democrat and Greenport resident Jim Shaw said made them "cowards. By not answering questions, it's a cowardly act and their silence makes them complicit," he said.

After the meeting, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell responded to a request for comment via email: "I do not condemn or condone people regardless of political affiliation until investigations are complete and conclusions are reached," he said. "Regarding Doug Roberts, he said the board has done some 'un-Republican' things. I actually agree with him, although I think a better term is 'nonpartisan' things."

Southold Town Councilman Bill Ruland weighed in: "As with all present at last night's meeting, all are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law."

Southold Town Councilman Bob Ghosio also spoke about the meeting with Patch: "I found Greenport Trustee Roberts and Democrat leader Quigley’s appearance at the last town board meeting to be nothing more than political grandstanding and opportunism for political gain," he said. "They took that opportunity to try to implicate all of us for the possible acts of others. That’s a shame, because I do not know any local elected official who would condone election fraud and to lay that at our feet is nothing more than a strategy to elicit distrust amongst our citizens and lay the groundwork for the upcoming campaign."

On Thursday, Southold Town GOP Committee Chair Peter McGreevy also sent a statement to Patch via email: "The Southold GOP does not tolerate fraud or any other unethical behavior; however, nor do we tolerate ignoring an individual’s right to due process of law and rushing to judgment for political gain and expediency," he said. "Right now there are only allegations, the specific details of which we simply do not know. I am confident that the investigation already being undertaken by the District Attorney’s office will be thorough, and the resolution appropriate. Once that matter is concluded the committee will discuss what actions, if any, may be required."

Patch photo by Lisa Finn.