Candidates Asked to Honor Ethics and Transparency in Yorktown
A bi-partisan citizens’ committee is asking the six major candidates in Yorktown to pledge if elected they will honor 10 principles for an ethical and transparent town government.
The newly formed Subcommittee on Ethics and Transparency of Yorktown Together sprang into action following a September 5 meeting when the majority of the Town Board voted to adopt a resolution, which was not on the agenda, supporting Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino’s veto of the Immigration Protection Act.
“Whether one was for or against the resolution, there was absolutely no justification for the Town Board to take up this highly controversial issue without any advance notice to the public, especially as there was no need to pass the resolution that evening,” said committee member Melvyn Tanzman, who developed the principles with Maura Gregory, Elise Graham, Paul Moskowitz, Stephen Filler and Susan Siegel.
“Regardless of who wins in November, as individuals and as a group, we’re committed to working for a more ethical and transparent town government,” he added. “Good government isn’t a partisan issue.”
The committee, which believes Yorktown’s current government is in an “ethical crisis,” is seeking candidates to abide by stipulations it outlined for the following categories: ethics and conflicts of interest, transparency and open government, and public input.
Gregory, who has difficult hearing, said one easy step officials can take is using the public address system and televising all Town Board and Planning Board meeting, including work sessions.
“Make it easy for people to participate in town government. It’s a no-brainer,” she said.
“How open is an open meeting if you can’t hear what is being said?” Siegel added.
Graham maintained too many important Town Board resolutions are voted on without being on the official agenda, leaving the public at a disadvantage to offer any comments. As one example, she mentioned the elimination of the $30 annual open space fee, which she remarked was “egregious” since the fee was previously approved by a public referendum.
Candidates are being given until October 13 to agree to the pledges.
Meanwhile, on Monday, candidates running on the Republican slate unveiled a seven-point pledge for a fair campaign.
Listed among the points “geared toward providing voters with a clear and honest comparison of the candidates,” is “no meritless accusations and personal attacks shall be levied against candidates and elected officials,” and “no information divulged in an executive session of the Town Board may be shared or used for any campaign purposes.”
“To me these are common sense proposals that I would expect anyone to abide by,” said Councilman Gregory Bernard, who is seeking reelection. “The fact that we have to even propose this in order to ensure this year’s local campaigns do not get out of hand is actually ridiculous.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
