Peekskill Superintendent Criticized Over Traffic Ticket Controversy

Peekskill Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Mauricio and the Board of Education were taken to task last week by several residents for failing to quickly address Mauricio’s alleged involvement in a ticket-fixing controversy.

The flap led to the departure of City Court Judge Reginald Johnson.

Johnson, the first Black judge in Peekskill’s history, resigned from the bench, effective Sept. 30, following a probe by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

It is alleged Johnson dismissed 11 traffic tickets between March 2018 and November 2022 based on personal relationships with the defendants or persons close to the defendants and not on the merits.

According to the commission’s findings, on Jan. 31. 2019, Mauricio was charged with traveling 55 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone. In January or February 2020, while Mauricio was attending a community event with Johnson and his wife, Pamela Hallman-Johnson, a former member of the Peekskill Board of Education, Mauricio allegedly asked Johnson to look into his ticket and shared some “purportedly mitigating circumstances.”

On Feb. 6, 2020, Johnson dismissed Mauricio’s ticket. That same day, Hallman-Johnson texted Mauricio to advise, “My husband took care of that issue today.” Mauricio responded, “Tell your husband I said a big thank you.”

In a letter this week to Examiner Media, Johnson stated he dismissed Mauricio’s ticket because “it was defective.”

“The ticket charged him with traveling 55 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone, but the supporting deposition alleged that he was traveling 71 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per-hour zone. Based on this information, I dismissed the ticket,” Johnson wrote. “The better practice would have been to dismiss the ticket in court on the record with the parties present. If Superintendent Mauricio’s sworn testimony before the commission that he met with me and asked me to help him with his traffic ticket is credible, then I am sure he will do what is in the best interest of the community, as I did.”

At the Oct. 8 Board of Education meeting, President Michael Simpkins read a statement on behalf of the board “clarifying recent news reports” regarding Mauricio.

Simpkins stated the Board of Education was not made aware of Mauricio’s traffic ticket until after Mauricio was contacted by the Commission on Judicial Conduct in the spring of 2023.

“The board fully understands the circumstances concerning the ticket and the nuisances of the specific situation that have not previously been made public,” Simpkins stated. “We understand that after visiting the court in person to schedule a court date Dr. Mauricio was informed it may be months for a hearing to be scheduled and that he believed he had a rationale with merit that he wished to be heard for the court’s consideration. We understand that he visited the court again to follow up regarding the hearing and was again informed that a date had not been scheduled.”

“After waiting for approximately one year for a court date, we understand that Dr. Mauricio saw the judge at a public event and inquired about how to address the status of the court delay dilemma, as he had still not received written notice,” Simpkins continued. “Dr. Mauricio maintains and the board believes that he did not ask for the ticket to be dismissed. The board also acknowledges that mere weeks after the superintendent inquired to the judge, the COVID-19 pandemic completely shut down schools. His attention was focused on tending to the safety, health, mental wellness and education of the students, staff and family.”

“The board has accepted the explanation of events by Dr. Mauricio and believes his legitimate inquiry to the judge was never intended to lead to any unethical practice,” Simpkins concluded.

Peekskill resident Leesther Brown charged Mauricio should follow in Johnson’s lead and step down.

“The man should resign. He was wrong,” Brown stressed.

Resident Elena Walker said Mauricio’s alleged actions do not make the district’s “Peekskill Pride” mantra look good, adding, “This is not going to go away.”

Former Board of Education member Marcela Bobe said the statement Simpkins read was “insulting to anyone’s intelligence.”

“It’s really hard to show respect for someone who didn’t show respect for the process,” Bobe said. “It’s extremely disrespectful to the citizens of this city.”

Mauricio did not respond to any of the comments made at the meeting and has not responded to repeated attempts for comment by Examiner Media, nor has the district’s communications manager.