The revelation that County Legislator Christopher Johnson may have committed fraud by claiming residence at both his long-time condo and a newly purchased home outside of his district are another example of our failed oversight systems.
For all of Johnson’s time in elected office, he has claimed residence at a North Broadway condo. However, in June of 2022, Johnson purchased a $700k home outside of his current district. He declared this house as his primary residence on the mortgage documents. Since then, he cites either property as his primary residence depending on his need. Therefore, this story reveals yet another example of the lack of oversight of our elected officials.
A pattern of oversight failures
Last month, Catherine Borgia, resigned as chair of the Board of Legislators after our reporting that she knew of allegations that her staffer, Anand Singh, solicited sex from a minor. The ultimate failure forcing her resignation was the lack of investigation and punishment of Singh. This spurred Westchester County District Attorney, Mimi Rocah, to request details on the BOL’s conduct throughout this incident.
More recently, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano has been under fire for claims of nepotism. Reports in Journal News and national news outlets revealed at least 14 members of the mayor’s family on the city payroll. Other family members are profiting from businesses working with agencies the mayor controls. When calls for an investigation were sent by the DA to the Yonkers Inspector General, they fell upon deaf ears. IG Liam McLaughlin–who himself has numerous family members in city government–called these “political silly-season accusations” and refused to investigate.
With Johnson being the third local official caught in an ethical entanglement proves our local governments are operating without due oversight. Johnson’s actions appear to not only violate the residency requirement for his office, but his leadership during last year’s redistricting effort casts a shadow on the newly-drawn maps which are presently contested in state Supreme Court.
Johnson’s troubles don’t stop there as his conflicting signatures on legal documents present possible cases of fraud and forgery. Criminal charges like mortgage fraud may be investigated by the Westchester DA. But, other potential liability may rise to the state-level via the Attorney General. However, as Johnson’s wife serves as a high-level member of AG James’ staff, some believe that her office may act with the same negligence aforementioned by the Yonkers IG. In confusing contrast, this same Yonkers IG who refused to investigate Mayor Spano, has now told the Journal News that he will investigate Johnson.
Preventative measures
In all of these instances, potential wrong-doing could have been identified almost immediately.
If a staffer is credibly accused of child sex crimes, a suspension pending investigation seems warranted. However, BOL Chair Catherine Borgia left Anand Singh to conduct official business for five months unabated. She only terminated his employment after the release of a Youtube video publicly detailing his misconduct. And she herself only resigned her chairmanship when The Yonkers Ledger revealed her lack of action.
For Spano’s 12 years in office as the head of Yonkers government, the Board of Ethics could have offered opinions on the employment on each new hire from the Spano clan. While some jobs are subject to a civil service exam, other positions do not require this. Regardless of meeting the minimum qualifications, basic ethics dictate that the mayor award no preferential treatment to even just one of his family members over other qualified Yonkers applicants. If two candidates are equal, it shouldn’t always default to your nephew, cousin, or sister-in-law.
Lastly, residency verification of the County Legislators could have been conducted before the redistricting process commenced. A simple investigation, or least attestation, prevents allegations of gerrymandering by those voting on the boundaries of their own districts. This check also would have revealed any pre-existing residency issues like Legislator Johnson now appears in violation of.
It’s all about who you know
But, none of these common-sense measures were adopted in our local governments. The requisite internal oversight of our elected officials does not apparently exist. So, we in the public cannot be surprised when stories of malfeasance arise week after week. If elected officers like Johnson, Borgia, and Spano know they are shielded from scrutiny, they may act with impunity.
If not for the hard work of veteran reporters like David McKay Wilson, some of these violations may never have seen the light of day. But, investigative journalism should not be the only venue for government oversight. Our tax dollars fund these politicians and the agencies charged with their oversight. And to paraphrase the former Yonkers Inspector General Phil Zisman, we should all ask these oversight agencies to simply “do their job!”
