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Yorktown Letter: Is Supervisor Michael Grace Ethically Challenged?

YORKTOWN, N.Y. – The Daily Voice accepts signed and original letters to the editor. Email them to yorktown@dailyvoice.com.

The Daily Voice accepts signed and original letters to the editor. Email them to yorktown@dailyvoice.com.

The Daily Voice accepts signed and original letters to the editor. Email them to yorktown@dailyvoice.com.

Photo Credit: File photo

To the editor:

Seems like Supervisor Michael Grace has been on a slip and slide when it comes to his personal ethics. Do ethical problems extend to his position as Town Supervisor as well? Supervisor Grace has plenty of skeletons in his closet that need investigation.

When cornered by the facts, Grace reluctantly admitted that he owed $30,000 in unpaid town taxes, that for years his commercial property was wrongly assessed at a lower residential rate and that he's given family members town jobs. For all we know, this may only be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Supervisor Grace's ethical challenges. How is Grace getting away with it? Who is holding Grace accountable if anyone?

It’s obvious that Supervisor Grace cuts corners and does plenty of political favors for people he knows, but at what cost to Yorktown taxpayers? How's doing personal favors in return for Grace? The breakneck speed, secrecy and unconventional steps that Grace has taken to push a planned multimillion dollar revitalization of Depot Park should scare all taxpayers.

A strong Yorktown Ethics Board is the perfect entity to conduct an impartial inquiry and publicly report its findings. Supervisor Grace is doing everything in his power to muzzle the Ethics Board and make changes without its members input. Are strong and enforceable ethics guidelines Supervisor Grace's political kryptonite? Grace knows all too well how to skip along the line between unethical and illegal. Just like hiring his wife for a town job.

The Yorktown Ethics Board needs its independence and to remove all the roadblocks that Grace is putting in behind closed doors. The Yorktown Ethics Board needs to do its part. It needs to publicly push back against Grace and state what they need to do its job. Yorktown Ethics Board needs to be a moral compass and not a toothless tiger. 

Diego Fernando

Yorktown

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