MOUNT VERNON MAYOR RICHARD THOMAS STRONGLY DISPUTES CLAIMS BY ATTORNEY GENERAL ON ELECTION LAW FILING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Office of the Mayor
City of Mount Vernon
Brian Finnegan, (631) 374–7181
MOUNT VERNON MAYOR RICHARD THOMAS STRONGLY DISPUTES CLAIMS BY ATTORNEY GENERAL ON ELECTION LAW FILING
THOMAS SAYS “ALLEGATIONS ARE FALSE.”
MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK (Monday, March 12, 2018) — Mayor Richard Thomas said today that he is innocent of allegations that he violated Election Law disclosure requirements during his run for Mayor in 2015. The mayor, who won the election in a landslide and is the youngest mayor ever elected in Mount Vernon, strongly disputed the Attorney General’s accusations.
The allegations are merely accusations with no supporting evidence. No indictment has been brought against Mayor Thomas. The allegations are claims of a technical nature relating to Election Law, campaign finance and ethics disclosures. It should be noted that the funds in question, paid to then candidate-Thomas’ personal account, were legal and justified, and made on the advice of counsel, as compensation for his own campaign duties. Thomas, while a candidate for Mount Vernon Mayor, left his job to work solely for his campaign; responsible for a variety of roles, ranging from manager to mail clerk. Additionally, as Schneiderman noted himself, there are no legal restrictions under New York State law pertaining to how Inaugural funds can, or cannot, be spent.
The accusations are completely independent of the Office of the Mayor, or the official duties of Mayor Thomas.
Carl Bernstein, the attorney representing Mayor Thomas, said:
“The allegations announced today by the Attorney General are unfounded and Mayor Thomas strongly proclaims his innocence. The Mayor’s 2015 campaign never, in any way, intended to violate the law and expects that, through the justice system, his name will be completely cleared of any wrongdoing. The mayor and his team of legal experts await their opportunity to refute these charges in a court of law. The allegations are not public corruption, they are campaign infractions that could have been handled with simple amendments to paperwork filed. If the Attorney General really wanted to rid the City of Mount Vernon of corruption, he would be teaming up with Mayor Thomas, who has made public ethics a top priority and has done more to fight corruption than any of his predecessors in City Hall. ”
On the steps of City Hall, flanked by his wife and other supporters, Mayor Thomas said:
“The allegations are false. I want to reassure the people of Mount Vernon that they are related to the campaign and not my service in office. I have great confidence in our legal system and have no doubt I will be able to prove our full compliance. I will not allow the process to distract me from my service and duties. I expect to be fully vindicated.”
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