Yudelka Tapia Statement on Supreme Court Ruling

  

Statement on Supreme Court Ruling

- In a surprise ruling, the New York State Supreme Court, rejected a request by Tapia for City Council for the New York City Campaign Finance Board to review expenditure documentation from the 2009 election cycle. Ms. Tapia, who acknowledges that her campaign was late in filing the documentation, will appeal the ruling in the hope that CFB will review all her expenditures.

Tapia’s elections lawyer, Leo Glickman, issued a statement on the matter:

“During the 2009 campaign,  the Tapia for City Council campaign committee submitted to the CFB’s routine audit, was found to be compliant and was cleared to receive  public matching funds. All  campaign money – public and private - was spent in accordance with CFB rules throughout the campaign.

“During the CFB’s routine post election audit, Ms. Tapia’s son, who was also her Treasurer, became very ill and was repeatedly admitted to the hospital. As a result, the campaign was late in submitting documentation in response to the CFB’s routine request to substantiate the spending of public funds.  The campaign made a request to the CFB to scrutinize the documentation even though it was submitted late.  The CFB determined that it would not consider the documentation because it was late - not because money was spent inappropriately.

“Certain that the documentation shows that all money was spent in accordance with campaign finance regulations, we commenced  an action asking the  Supreme Court to order the CFB to scrutinize the documentation. We are disappointed that the Judge ruled that missing the deadline supersedes all other matters.

“Our appeal will ask for the same relief we asked the Supreme Court.  The campaign has not asked that the penalties it has received for its late response be overturned. We are only asking that the CFB not proceed as if the documentation was never received, and perform its Charter mandated audit to ensure that money was spent appropriately.  If they do so, we are certain that there will be no question about our full compliance with spending regulations.

Yudelka Tapia reiterated her regret for having missed CFB deadlines in 2009, “I am, as I have always been, sorry for not having submitted required documentation by the deadline imposed by the Campaign Finance Board and I look forward to paying the fine for this mistake. My only request is that the CFB review the paperwork I have submitted so that we can put this matter to rest.”

--

Yudelka Tapia has been a district leader or state committee person from the 86th Assembly District since 2002. A leader in her community for 25 years and a member of AFL-CIO Local DC37, Tapia founded the first Dominican based Democratic Club in the Bronx. Yudelka raised four sons in the Bronx, served as president of their PTA and lives in East Tremont with her husband, Tito.

 

***********************************************************