Don't Vote

Whatever you do on November 3rd, don’t vote.

Because if you don’t vote, Don Smith will continue to rule.

And that’s just what he wants.

If you don’t vote, we'll have the same sheriff we’ve had for 8 years.

On November 1, 2009, Lohud.com, the online component of The Journal News, reported Don Smith’s failures as sheriff, “Among the controversies is the May 2006 jail suicide of a Putnam Valley man whose family later sued the county, a case that was recently settled. There’s also Deputy Barbara Dunn, who was indicted last month on multiple charges of grand larceny, perjury and official misconduct, in part, to her investigating crimes against animals while serving as president of the Putnam Humane Society.”

“And there’s the case of a Putnam Valley Middle School student who claimed she was sexually assaulted in 2001 by a male teacher, although the crime wasn’t reported to police until 2003. A state agency found that sheriff’s investigators, the District Attorney’s Office and school officials botched the case. The teacher was never charged and was allowed to resign.”


There’s another choice. You have an opportunity this year to vote for a leader who will be accountable to the voters. You can vote for a new Putnam County Sheriff, Kevin McConville.

Lohud.com: “So many people identify with us and what we want to do,” McConville said. “I’ve met with hundreds of people who are not happy with the current administration and want change.”

“A law enforcement organization should be about professionalism and accountability,” McConville said. “That’s what I intend to bring the people of Putnam County.”

So, don’t vote if you want Don Smith to continue ruining Putnam County.

Or, vote for a new Democratic leader and change.

Why Did Smith Fail to Win a Majority Vote from His Party: Part II

In our last blog post we addressed why Don Smith failed to win the majority vote from his party. At last night's debate in the Town of Kent, we witnessed another example of why Don Smith failed to win his party's majority vote. During the debate Kevin McConville read excerpts from the New York State Commission of Correction regarding the 2006 Putnam jail suicide of Spencer Sinkov.

The report clearly states it was the responsibility of the Sheriff to prevent the suicide: "Sinkov's death could have been prevented had proper suicide prevention precautions been taken and had department policy and procedures been properly followed." The Sheriff hung his head in shame.

Don Smith's only reply was to ignore the statistics in the FBI's 2008 Crime in the U.S. report regarding increasing crime in Putnam County (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/index.html).

Smith also ignored the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services rising crime statistics for 2006-08 -- which Smith likes to omit although he was Sheriff during that time. To confirm these facts, visit http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/. Smith brazenly stated that crime did not rise and there is no threat to Putnam County.

Once again, he avoided discussing the Karen Meltz excessive force lawsuit, the charges of illegal search and seizure by his office in the Nelson lawsuit, and, though he was visibly shaken, denied any responsibility in the Sinkov suicide lawsuit.

If you believe in justice, if you want a safe and secure Putnam County, vote for Kevin McConville for Sheriff of Putnam County - Row A of the ballot.

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Why Did Smith Fail to Win a Majority Vote from His Party?

In the Republic primary for Sheriff on September 15, Don Smith failed to win a majority of his own party - receiving only 47.8% of the vote. That's surprising for an incumbent who has been in office almost eight years. Obviously, the people who know Smith best wanted another candidate.

There are a lot of reasons for Smith's failure:

Poor Law Enforcement

• New York State Criminal Justice reports Putnam crime is up 34% in last three years
• Alcohol-involved accidents up 163%, total auto accidents increased 67%

Ineffective Training

• Condemned by NYS Commission of Investigation for failure to properly handle teen rape case
• Did not properly train in use of force: Deputies injured and hospitalized a woman
• Injured woman sued: lawsuit settled in her favor, damages to be paid by taxpayers

Violations

• Sheriff violated Putnam ethics code, let Deputy Dunn head Putnam Humane Society
• Smith allowed Dunn to make TV ad in uniform, an ethics code violation

Lawsuits Naming Smith

• Karen Meltz excessive force lawsuit settled out-of-court; taxpayers pay
• Sinkov suicide lawsuit settles, Smith held partly responsible for suicide
• Nelson lawsuit charges illegal search and seizure; in preliminary stages

Malfeasance

• Failure to act on findings by NYS Commission of Correction to prevent additional suicides in jail led to Sinkov suicide
• Accepted $1,000 campaign donation from jail medical provider, Americor, 10 weeks after Sinkov suicide
• Americor found 35% at fault in Sinkov suicide, supported Smith
• Smith failed to update policy and procedure manual during eight years in office
• Did not control overtime in jail, taxpayers will pay

Why is Kevin McConville the right choice for Putnam County Sheriff? Because he has a five-point program for crime fighting and prevention:

1. Instilling core values
2. Promoting safety
3. Ensuring safety
4. Training, education and mentoring
5. Enforcing the law equitably
   

10-2-09 Press Conference held by Putnam County Sheriff candidate, Kevin McConville

Hudson Valley Law Enforcement Golf Classic

Yesterday the Committee to Elect Kevin McConville for Putnam County Sheriff sponsored the Hudson Valley Law Enforcement Golf Classic. The site of the event was the Putnam National Golf Club in Mahopac. Boy, was it a day for golfing. As you can see from the pictures below the sun was beating down on Kevin McConville and his golfers. I hope everyone wore sunscreen.






A trip for two to Myrtle Beach, SC was raffled off as well as golf bags, putters and drivers. All proceeds from the raffle were donated to the the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.