New Rochelle Mayor Facing Ethics Charges for Illegal Vote on Sustainable Westchester Contract
You would think they would learn, right?
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (February 23, 2024) — Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert is the third New Rochelle official in as many months caught up in an ethics investigation involving Sustainable Westchester. An ethics complaint, published in full below the jump, was filed by Robert Cox Friday afternoon.
The previous investigations resulted in numerous sustained ethics violations against Noam Bramson and Sara Kaye for illegal votes spread over an eight-year period.
Bramson left office a month later and is now Executive Director of Sustainable Westchester. Sara Kaye remains on their Board of Directors.
On December 1, 2023, the New Rochelle Board of Ethics declared all city contracts with Sustainable Westchester from 2015 to 2023 null, void, and wholly unenforceable because either or both Noam Bramson and Sara Kaye voted to approve the contracts despite sitting on the Board of Directors of Sustainable Westchester, a prohibited interest.
Last week, Yadira Ramos-Herbert participated as a voting member of the recent Sustainable Westchester Annual Members Meeting. Six days later, a new Sustainable Westchester contract was put on the council meeting agenda to replace the one made null and void by Bramson and Kaye. The new contract is likewise now null, void, and wholly unenforceable because Ramos-Herbert failed to disclose her prohibited interest, did not recuse herself and leave the room, presided over a discussion about the contract, then voted on the contract.
Mentioned in the ethics complaint is the petulant behavior of Council Member Sara Kaye at Tuesday’s council meeting. Before discussing the Sustainable Westchester Resolution to approve a new contract, Mayor Ramos-Herbert recognized Kaye for the purpose of Kaye disclosing her interest in Sustainable Westchester and then recusing herself as required under New York State law.
Kaye stated, for the first time at a council meeting, that she is on the Board of Directors of Sustainable Westchester then claimed she was asked to recuse herself but did not believe it was necessary for her to do so but would to avoid delaying the meeting. She then remained seated on the dais — not actually recusing herself.
In other words, without foundation she rejected the determination of the ethics board and four different municipal attorneys that she broke the law, said she would recuse herself and then refused to leave her seat.
She was not asked to recuse herself (if so, who asked her?) she was required by law to recuse herself.
The Corporation Counsel interrupted the meeting to suggest Kaye needed to leave the dais. Kaye stood, then, with heels clacking angrily, stomped off the stage.
The entire fiasco is here:
The ethics complaint is published in full below the jump for paid subscribers.
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