Letter to the Editor: Why Not Strengthen Yorktown's Ethics Policy?

To the Editor:

Supervisor Michael Grace is all for building a better mouse trap as long as it leaves him enough wiggle room to avoid personal responsibility and still allows him to grab a piece of cheese when he leaves office.

The 11/24/2015 Yorktown Board Meeting heard from an attorney reviewing Yorktown’s Ethics Policy.

The attorney questioned whether Yorktown’s Ethics Policy needs to be clearer, and have more teeth. He suggested that the Ethics Board should be totally independent with the ability to make its findings public. It needed a more robust 1 year prohibition against Yorktown employees using a “revolving door system “ to peddle their influence to the highest bidder after the leave office.

Supervisor Grace stated that he wants to be able to disregard and keep private the findings of the Ethics Board. Grace stated any limitations on former employees peddling influence was too punitive.

Seems like Supervisor Grace’s sole purpose for entering public service may have been to cash out when he leaves office. Supervisor Grace has displayed poor ethics in the past like not paying his town taxes and hiring his wife for a cushy Town Hall job. Why would you think that things would change in the future?

Will Supervisor Grace,when he leaves office, be hired to lobby Town Board on behalf of the corporations developing the Highway Building/Depot Park project? A definite conflict of interest.

Yorktown Ethics Policy needs to be strong and elected officials like Supervisor Grace needs to be held accountable.

S. Alejandra Santana, Yorktown Resident.