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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. By John F. Bailey. September 13, 2002 BREAKING NEWS UPDATED 8:15 PM EDT: As the sensitive recanvassing process began Friday in three of the Naomi Matusow “stronghold towns,” WPCNR has learned that the Board of Elections Canvass sheets provided to the Bradley campaign reported “complete” by the Board of Elections are missing two key White Plains districts on the assembly vote, where reportedly 184 Democratic Voters voted, according to the sign-in sheets viewed by the Bradley campaign.
The recanvassing process which began today and was reported still in process in late afternoon, according to a “Bradley Brigader” was showing what the Bradley campaign expected to find, and that was “good.” He would not elaborate further.
Pound Ridge Report
Another observer on the scene at Pound Ridge, remarked that so far the numbers Mr. Bradley’s observers took and reported from the canvass sheets on the scenes Tuesday night match those found on the voting machines at Mt. Kisco, New Castle and Pound Ridge today.
Where’s My Impoundment Order?
Our WPCNR “reporter,” on the scene at Pound Ridge, reports that Suzanne Beatty, Town Clerk of Pound Ridge still had not received a copy of Judge Orazio Bellantoni’s impoundment order at the time of the recanvass Friday, three days after he signed it Tuesday night.
BOE “Final” Canvass Sheets Bradley Says Show ZERO votes in Districts 9 & 13, for Assembly but 173 voters for Governor’s race.
According to a news tip from a source close to candidate Adam Bradley, the canvass sheets provided to the Bradley camp by the Board of Elections show “0’s” for key White Plains Districts 9 and 13 on the Assembly line.
Mr. Bradley confirmed this at 6:45 PM to WPCNR Friday evening after he had viewed the “Complete” White Plains Canvass Sheets at the Board of Elections Friday. He did not make a copy where he personally made the discovery of the zeros. Bradley commented that the Board of Elections had delayed showing him the Canvass Sheets until Friday.
Votes for Governor/ Not Assembly?
Commenting further, Bradley said it was interesting that the canvass sheets showed 173 persons voted in the Governor Race, yet no votes were recorded in the Assembly race in Districts 9 and 13 on the sheets. He said 184 Democrats had voted, according to sign-in sheets at the Ridgeway School location, and found it strange that those 184 would not have voted in the Assembly race, but 173 voted in the Governor’s Primary Race.
A lot closer than it looks.
He said, this shows the election is “way too close to call,” with Matusow having a 99 vote lead, and, Mr. Bradley’s discovery that the Board of Elections is, according to his information, missing 184 votes. He said he carried White Plains by a 2.7 to 1 margin over Matusow, while Matusow won the five northern communities: Lewisboro, North Castle, Pound Ridge, Bedford , Mount Kisco by 3 to 1.
WPCNR Does the Math:
This information of possibly uncounted votes, would indicate Bradley might pick up 138 votes and Ms. Matusow, 46 if Districts 9 & 13 followed the Bradley trend. Mr. Bradley also pointed out the Absentee Ballots of which there were about 60 had yet to be counted.
Can of Worms
On the other hand, if the machines do actually say “ZERO Votes” for assembly in Districts 9 & 13, there may be a bigger can of worms opened.
Asked whether Mr. Bradley could file a quo warranto proceeding as Lawrence Delgado of White Plains is doing to overturn a BOE mandated Matusow victory in the primary, Bradley said no, the Election Law statute does not allow him that right. However, Bradley did say, the courts could order a new primary.
Heavily populated White Plains Districts Missing?
Voters in District 9 and District 13 voted at the Ridgeway School in White Plains, according to Board of Elections pre-election district locations.
The White Plains voting machines were voluntarily impounded Wednesday by White Plains City Clerk Janice Manieri as a precaution so if there are votes recorded for Assembly on those two machines, they should be picked up in the White Plains recanvass Tuesday, which is looming big with the new information discovered by Bradley today when he went over the BOE White Plains canvass sheet.
Board of Elections “Missteps?”
This report of “zero votes” in two White Plains Districts appears to be a fourth misstep by the Board of Elections which Adam Bradley has criticised for failure to provide him with canvass sheets in a timely fashion.
The recording of “zeros” on the canvass sheets, as yet unconfirmed, would indicate that the 78 districts reported as “complete” on the Assembly Race by the Board of Elections may be missing two heavily populated White Plains districts.
Previous Board of Elections missteps, in reporting the close Bradley-Matusow race, were:
1. Approximately a 15 to 24 hour delay in reporting all districts from 10:15 PM to well after 1 PM Wednesday, when the Board of Elections website reported a 180-vote lead for Ms. Matusow.
2. Failure to notify all eight Town Clerks to impound the voting machines in their districts to impound their machines until about 11:00 AM Thursday morning.
The delay is being blamed on county police not knowing what to do with the impoundment order. But, the county police Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety William Rehm said Thursday when contacted by WPCNR, the police never received the impoundment order Tuesday evening or Wednesday, by implication.
Public Safety Officer says it’s his fault — did not receive impoundment order until Thursday.
Maureen Keating-Tsuchiya, a “Bradley Brigader,” told WPCNR Friday evening that a Captain Marty McGlynn (spelling could not be confirmed) of the County Department of Public Safety said he was responsible for sending out the impoundment order to the Town Clerks. However, Ms. Keating-Tochiya says Captain McGlynn reports that he did not receive the impoundment order from the Board of Elections until Thursday morning, saying, that it was his fault for not sending out the impoundment order.
Timing Still 10-11 hours late.
The timing though of Captain McGlynn’s report of when he received the Impoundment Order (Thursday morning) was already about 10 to 11 hours past the deadline set by Judge Bellantoni of 12 noon, September 11. When WPCNR contacted County Deputy Public Safety Commissioner William Rehm it was early Thursday morning. The Commissioner of Public Safety for Westchester County is Lewis D’Aliso.
Ms. Keating-Tsuchiya said D’Aliso was on vacation. Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety William Rehm told WPCNR Thursday morning, that the Department of Public Safety had not received an impoundment order from the Board of Elections as of the time we spoke to the Deputy Commissioner.
The very strange fact that WPCNR heard Wednesday from one Town Clerk remains: This Clerk told WPCNR that she had expected an impoundment, was surprised when none was received Wednesday and called the Board of Elections to ask if the machines had been ordered impounded. She was told no on Wednesday by a Board of Elections official she did not identify.
Board of Elections Commissioner LaFayette Criticised for not cooperating with Bradley Camp.
Ms. Keating-Tsuchiya raised another, possibly fifth issue: perceived lack of information from the Board of Elections on the recanvass schedule.
Ms. Keating Tsuchiya CO-Chairperson of the New Castle Democrats, criticised Commissioner of the Board of Elections, Reginald LaFayette, of not being forthcoming with the recanvassing schedule, and for changing the schedule when it was issued, and not keeping the Bradley camp imformed.
