WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — Erie County Republican Chairman Michael Kracker and Amherst Republican Committee Chairman Bob Davis today condemned County Legislator Jeanne Vinal after a resident of the 5th Legislative District filed a formal ethics complaint with the Erie County Board of Ethics. The complaint concerns Vinal’s offer to trade her vote on a taxpayer-funded county appointment for a Democratic Party leadership post.
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WGRZ reported on September 24 that Vinal, while running for chair of the Erie County Democratic Committee, called the sitting party chairman with an offer. Give her and her allies top party posts, and they would not oppose his return to a full-time, taxpayer-funded job as Democratic Commissioner of the Erie County Board of Elections. The Erie County Legislature appoints that commissioner, and Vinal sits on the Legislature.
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Vinal confirmed the offer herself. “I knew there was room on the slate,” she told WGRZ. “If he wanted to do that, that we wouldn’t argue that it was a conflict.”
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“Jeanne Vinal’s bid to be party boss went nowhere, so she tried to buy a consolation prize with a county job that belongs to the taxpayers,” said Erie County GOP Chairman Michael Kracker. “This wasn’t a rumor or a misunderstanding. She said it on camera. When an elected official treats her vote as a bargaining chip for her own political gain, she has shown she is unfit for public office.”
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The complaint cites Section 6 of the Erie County Code of Ethics, which bars elected officials from soliciting anything of value that could reasonably be expected to influence their official duties or serve as a reward for official action. It also asks the Board to review the conduct under Section 805-a of the New York General Municipal Law.
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“The people of the 5th District sent Jeanne Vinal to the Legislature to look out for them, not to cut backroom deals for party titles,” said Davis. “Her constituents deserve a legislator who will listen and look out for them. That is why voters in all parties are supporting Christina Coyle-Lenz who will put the taxpayers first, not herself.”
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Kracker and Davis called on the Board of Ethics to act before Election Day. Vinal is on the ballot for re-election in the 5th District on November 3.
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“Voters have a right to know whether their legislator broke the county’s ethics rules before they head to the polls,” said Kracker. “And they have a clear choice. Christina Coyle-Lenz is running to lower costs, keep our neighborhoods safe, fix our roads, and listen to the people she represents. She isn’t running to be a political power player. She’s running to serve the 5th District, and that’s exactly the kind of legislator these residents deserve.”
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Erie County Republican Committee | 715 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203 |
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