The Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee met via Zoom on July 15, 2026 to hear the complaint of incumbent Sam Watkins, Jr. (Voice of Croton) against Ali R. Jaffery (Democratic and Working Families Parties), candidates for Justice in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson. Mr. Watkins did not attend the Hearing and was represented by Dan Callaway, Esq. and Gary Eisinger. Mr. Jaffery attended the Hearing.
COMPLAINT: Mr. Watkins complained that a post on Mr. Jaffery's candidate website misled voters by incorrectly stating that Mr. Watkins was retiring, giving the voting public the impression that there is no opposition to Mr. Jaffery’s candidacy. The post, which was announcing the Working Families Party’s April 2026 endorsement, read as follows: “The WFP also expressed gratitude to retiring Village Justice Sam Watkins for his years of service…”[boldface added]. The incorrect post was on Mr. Jaffery’s website from April 16 until June 28. He corrected it once he was made aware of the error. Mr. Jaffery’s website also included the language “Read the full story in River Journal Online,” although the River Journal article had not included the word “retiring.”
FINDING: UNFAIR CAMPAIGN PRACTICE
The Committee found that including the word “retiring” when referring to Mr. Watkins, when he clearly was not retiring, misled the public. Also, the Working Families Party endorsement, which was published in The Croton Chronicle on April 14 and in the River Journal on April 16, did not say anything about Mr. Watkins retiring. However, the Committee recognizes and appreciates that Mr. Jaffery quickly corrected the website on June 28 once he became aware of the error.
Download the PDF AT Findings in the Complaints of Sam Watkins, Jr. Against Ali R. Jaffery — Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee
No comments:
Post a Comment