The tentacles of the George Santos scandal have crossed the Long Island Sound to grip the legislators of Westchester County. The County Executive, George Latimer, has stated that he is pursuing legislation to prevent the same sort of issues NY-3 has faced here in our neck of the woods.
George Santos was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives last November. In the following weeks, his stated credentials and history have been summarily shredded by news media across the country. Mr. Santos’ education, work history, and finances have proven to be wholly fabricated. Shamefully, Santos has also lied about the death of his mother and falsely claimed the death of friends in the Pulse night club shooting in Orlando in 2016. Everyday a new lie appears to be uncovered.
Catherine Borgia, the head of the Westchester Board of Legislators, supports Executive Latimer’s call for stronger screening and transparency of candidates.
“I think it’s important to put in place the public vetting process, so that is why I think a lot of people are looking at how do we really choose our candidates?”
Catherine Borgia
The draft legislation, which Latimer hopes to be law by May 2023, may have multiple safeguards to protect voters from fabulists like Devolder Santos. Firstly, candidates may be required to submit a resume to the Board of Ethics. These resumes would be obtainable by local press and potential voters for their increased scrutiny. The presumed campaign finance crimes committed by Santos should also be addressed. The Westchester Board of Elections may choose to increase it’s scrutiny of how money flows though many suspect campaigns in our county.
The legislation will undergo a process similar to all others. Beginning in a committee and advancing to public hearings. These measures will likely be strongly supported by the voters. However, we will be curious to see if any legislators show reservations and find themselves on the side of Santos.
