Committee Rules on Campaign Practices by New Yorktown Town Councilmen

The Fair Campaign Practices Committee has released its findings pertaining to the special election for two Yorktown town council seats. The vote was held March 18.

Rosanne Brackett and Robert Giordano, Democratic candidates for Yorktown Town Council, filed the complaints against Gregory Bernard and Tom Diana, Republican candidates who won the election.

Three of the Democrats’ six complaints were found to have substance; one was not; and the committee did not rule on two for lack of sufficient information.

Topping the findings were a statement in a campaign mailer deemed false and a personal attack on Brackett apparently based on reproductive politics that the committee deemed false and misleading.

The Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee met on March 23 to hear the complaints. Here is its report:

COMPLAINT 1:

The Democratic candidates complained that Mr. Bernard and Mr. Diana made a false statement in a campaign mailer that Ms. Brackett and Robert Giordano were “opposed to term limits and government reform”, specifically term limits, ethics reform televising Town Board meetings, and modifying procedures for input at Town Board meetings.

FINDING: Unfair

Brackett’s and Giordano’s position in favor of term limits was clearly stated in a timely manner at a February debate. They also spoke of three government reforms: ethics reform, televising Town Board meetings, and modifying procedures for public input at Town Board meetings.

COMPLAINT 2:

The Democratic candidates complained that Mr. Bernard and Mr. Diana made a false statement in a mailer that they would “increase Senior Citizen Rent Exemption to help seniors stay in their homes,” but, they claimed, Yorktown had no such program.

FINDING: No finding.

There was not sufficient information on this complaint.

COMPLAINT 3:

The Democratic candidates complained that their opponents made an unsubstantiated claim that ”they were pushing a political agenda that will hurt Yorktown small businesses.”

FINDING: Fair. The statements fall within the realm of normal political discourse.

COMPLAINT 4: The Democratic candidates complained that Ms. Brackett and Mr. Giordano were “against economic growth that will save residential taxpayers over $500,000.”

FINDING: No finding.

There was insufficient information given.

COMPLAINT 5;

The Democratic candidates complained that a Republican campaign consultant had sent a letter to the editor of a Yorktown newspaper, with subsequent paid advertisements on social media sites, that was a personal attack on Ms. Brackett, and an invasion of her privacy unrelated to her fitness for office.

FINDING: Unfair.

Ms. Brackett’s blog discussions of four years ago did not show “irreverence for natural procreation,” which was a false and misleading statement.

COMPLAINT 6.

The Democratic candidates complained that lawn signs and campaign literature used in the Bernard/Diana campaign did not state the source of payment for the signs, as required by the Committee’s guidelines.

FINDING: Unfair.

The Fair Campaign Practices Committee regularly states that mailers, posters, lawn signs, and brochures in political campaigns must clearly identify the person(s) or organization paying for it.