I find that in today’s political world, politicians fabricating horrendous stories against their opponents has become a right of campaign. The worse that one can make the other appear to the public is a tactic that many feel will gather them votes.
In the campaign for District 9 involving the Westchester Board of Legislators, which represents the area from Briarcliff Manor to parts of Peekskill, the incumbent, Catherine Borgia did just this to her opponent Robert Outhouse. This is an excerpt taken from the Westchester Gazette published during the Week of October 10th.
“The Westchester ·County Fair Campaign Practices Committee has ruled “unfair” comments made by Westchester County Legislator Catherine Borgia (D-District Nine) in relation to her Republican opponent at a forum held in July in White Plains.”
Borgia was cited by Fair Campaign Practice Committee, that there was no proof that any such mailer ever existed or was ever sent. Ms. Borgia’s comments are in violation of one of the committee’s principles: ‘”The· candidate will neither engage in nor be involved with false or misleading attacks upon the character of an opponent. …”‘
In a requested e-mail response to the Gazette regarding the Fair Campaign Practice Committee’s finding, Ms.Borgia replies “Mr. Outhouse can worry about scoring ‘he-said/she-said’ political points in the press”…
Ms. Borgia made these statements on YouTube, there is no doubt she said these derogatory words at the forum hosted by the Indivisible Westchester. Ms. Borgia, seeking her fourth two-year term on the 17-member Board of Legislators this fall, was speaking about her opponent, Robert Outhouse, who had first challenged her two years ago in his first run for public office. She then referred to a Republican campaign mailer “against me (in 2017) saying I wanted to let brown people in to rape our white daughters in Westchester, our blonde white daughters.”
These inflammatory statements were found to be untrue as Mr. Outhouse never was involved in any mailer, nor did he make any statements in that vein towards anyone especially Ms Borgia.
We as voters must question in today’s political arena the egregious tactics that are being used to sway the public’s opinion and subsequently their precious vote and separate “Yellow campaign tactics” and keep to the Issues that most effect our present and future lives. Integrity, and reputation must be a major factor in our voting decisions.
Bruce Bellom
Chairman Peekskill Republican Committee
