Watchdog groups wrote Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez supporting his decision to look into allegations that members of the public were appointed to Kings County Democratic Party positions without their knowledge or consent – including dead people.
The letter asks Brooklyn District Attorney Gonzalez to do the following:
- Continue to seriously review whether there was any potential criminal conduct related to county committee appointments made without individuals’ knowledge or consent; and
- Additionally review the alleged filing of false objections to county committee petitions.
The groups said fraudulent activity around the appointment or nomination of party positions undermines New York’s democracy and makes voters cynical. The groups hope the DA’s energetic investigation will help restore public trust.
The full letter is available below.
June 15, 2022
Submitted Via Email
Eric Gonzalez
Brooklyn County District Attorney
Re: Request for Review of Reported Appointment of Kings County Party Members Without Consent, and Alleged False Filing of Objections to Petitions
Dear District Attorney Gonzalez,
We are deeply troubled by recent news reports regarding potential misconduct surrounding the Kings County Democratic County Committee seats, particularly given the large amount of influence that county parties have on local politics and elections. Therefore, we strongly support your decision to look into allegations that members of the public were appointed to Kings County Democratic Party positions without their knowledge or consent. Please also review what seem to be well-founded accusations that false filings were made to object to county committee petitions. Specifically, we request you:
- Continue to seriously review whether there was any potential criminal conduct related to county committee appointments made without knowledge or consent of the individuals; and
- Additionally review the alleged filing of false objections to county committee petitions.
Any fraudulent activity around the appointment or nomination of party positions undermines our democratic processes and contributes to voter cynicism. Voter cynicism is corrosive to increasing participation in what are already low-turnout elections. Therefore, we believe that your review of these matters is crucial to increasing public confidence in our elections.
A summary of the recent news reports is below.
County Party Appointments Reportedly Made Without Consent
According to the New York Daily News, Coney Island resident Alfreida Davis was appointed to the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s county committee in December 2020 even though she died a month prior. The appointment form included the names of at least three other Brooklyn residents who said in interviews that they were never informed of their committee appointments. The City further reported that 20 individuals were appointed to positions without their knowledge or consent.
Reported Filing of False Petition Objections
According to The City, at least two petition objections were allegedly filed with the New York City Board of Elections with forged signatures, per a complaint filed with the Board in April 2022. Through further reporting, The City found two additional individuals who stated that their signatures were forged on petitions.
We appreciate that your staff has indicated that you believe the pattern of appointment of individuals to Kings County Democratic Party seats without their consent or knowledge is serious enough to warrant a review by your office. We ask that you follow through on this review to determine what, if any, civil or criminal penalties are appropriate, and additionally consider whether any misconduct occurred in the filing of false petition objections for county committee positions. We look forward to learning the results of your investigation.
Sincerely,
John Kaehny
Executive Director
Reinvent Albany
Betsy Gotbaum
Executive Director
Citizens Union
Susan Lerner
Executive Director
Common Cause/NY
Diane Burrows and Lesley Sigall
Co-Presidents
League of Women Voters of the City of New York
Laura Ladd Bierman
Executive Director
League of Women Voters of New York State
Blair Horner
Executive Director
New York Public Interest Research Group
Cc. New York State Attorney General Letitia James
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Southern District
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, Eastern District
New York City Board of Elections