Mount Vernon Democratic Primary Re-canvass Goes Smoothly Despite City Clerk Copeland’s Foolishness

Last Tuesday morning, the re-canvass of the voting machines from all 76 Mount Vernon election districts went smoothly once personnel from the Westchester County Board of Elections in White Plains arrived around 10am. Prior to their arrival, however, City Clerk Lisa Copeland, apparently determined to throw her weight around, and make a big fool of herself, attempted to restrict press and media access to the process, claiming, when all else failed, that there wasn’t sufficient space in the old rehouse on South Sixth Avenue, where the machines were
being held under lock and key.

As it turned out, the only media present was Tracy Everson, stalwart political reporter for NEWS12, together with her cameraman, and The Westchester Guardian. In actuality, Copeland who found it necessary to come down the street from City Hall to personally impose her Unconstitutional will, appeared mostly bent on
barring the Guardian. At one point, prior to the arrival of the County staff , she actually tried to get Police Officer Anthony Burnett, overseeing the security of the machines and the operation, to arrest this reporter.

To Officer Burnett’s credit, he refused to follow her commands, and she promptly retreated to her office. When the staff of the County Board of Elections arrived, and began preparing for the re-canvass, it was quickly determined that Election Commissioner Reggie LaFayette had indicated, of course, that press and media were permitted to observe, as always. As the results turned out, Clinton Young picked up 52 more votes over ncumbent Mayor Ernie Davis, lengthening his lead to 401 prior to reconciliation, and counting, of absentee and affidavit ballots.

Despite her protestations to the contrary, it was clear that Copeland, a Davis appointee, was behaving badly, perhaps acting like a sore-loser, not too unlike her conduct when she lost a fair and square floor fight for the
County Clerk’s nomination to Tim Idoni at the Democratic County Convention in May, 2005. However, given
some of her past covert political activities, twice undermining Tony Castro’s bids, in 2001 and 2005, for District
Attorney, and refusing to assist Carl McCall in his bid for governor in 2002, perhaps Lisa’s political expectations have been somewhat unrealistic.