Yorktown Democrats' Practice Ruled Unfair by Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee

Members of the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee met on Sept. 9 to hear the complaints of Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace, who is running for re-election, against Yorktown Democratic Committee-endorsed candidates for office Nick Bianco, Rich Campanaro, Thomas Diana, and Deane Jackson.


Here are the findings by the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee as provided:

COMPLAINT: Grace complained that two campaign signs for the Democratic candidates are misleading because they do not indicate whether or not they are 
incumbents for those offices.

The first sign is a list of the candidates and the offices they are running for with the 
heading: “Shop Local / Our Candidates Do.”

FINDING: Fair

The sign is clear that this is a list of candidates who support shopping locally, and there is no implication that they are incumbents. 

COMPLAINT: The second sign reads: “Experience*Leadership*Integrity / Nick Bianco Town Supervisor, Rich Campanaro Town Council, Tom Diana Highway Superintendent, Working Together for Our Future.”

FINDING: Unfair

The sign implies that each candidate is an incumbent when in fact some are not. If a candidate is not an incumbent for the office she or he is running for, a term such as “elect” or “for” such a position would make it clear to the average voter.

Editor's Note: Councilman Vishnu Patel, who is pictured above, was not involved in the complaint or the findings.

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For more on the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee's findings based on complaints of Nicholas Bianco, current Yorktown town board member and candidate for Yorktown Supervisor, against the incumbent Yorktown Supervisor and the Republican Party-endorsed candidates for town board and highway superintendent, click here.

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According to the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee, its purpose is to "promote a climate in which candidates conduct honest and fair campaigns." The Committee encourages candidates to conduct campaigns openly and fairly, to discuss issues, to refrain from dishonest and defamatory attacks, and not to use campaign materials that distort the facts. Its task is to accept written complaints about alleged unfair campaign practices and to determine whether the action complained about is indeed unfair.