above: Jason Zeif caught removing a political sign of Jann Mirchandani
By Dan Murphy
Let this be a warning to anyone thinking about removing the political signs of a political opponent. The signs may have GPS on them to help identify persons who may be removing them.
Jann Mirchandani, the democratic candidate for Yorktown Supervisor, had her sign removed from outside her house by a Town of Yorktown employee, Jason Zeif. But Mirchandani had GPS on a few of her signs, and one she realized that her sign outside her home was moving, she took the photo of Zeif caught in the act.
The sign was later retrieved – along with 5 additional signs – by using a GPS tracking device. A police report was filed, and the response will only result in more questions.
When Zeif was questioned by Yorktown Police, the report states that Zeif “stated that the campaign sign was located on Town right of way property, and Zeif explained that campaign signs cannot be on Town property.”
Zeif also claimed that the sign was in the grass on the edge of the roadway and not obviously associated with any residence” and that “he was performing an act in his official role as Yorktown Code Enforcement officer. He added that he has taken thousands of signs off town property over the years, and that he has taken signs from both side of the campaign. Recently Zeif has been placing signs next to the dumpster at Town Hall.
There are no reports to verify that Zeif has taken signs from other candidates.
Mirchandani went to the dumpster at Town Hall and found a few of her signs, and other signs for professional services.
“I asked to have the report amended to include trespass as part of the original complaint; Mr. Zeif came onto my property to remove the sign. The town code does not authorize him to take my property, even if a violation were to take place,” said Mirchandani.
“I am also including photos of my signs in the dumpster that belie Mr. Zeif’s assertion that he is applying town codes in an unbiased manner. You can clearly see that there are no Ed Lachterman signs.
“Additionally, where it indicates that “no further action taken or requested” – I want to pursue this. Mr. Zeif came on my property and took a sign which he had no right to do. He is improperly applying town codes and is doing so in a biased manner.”
Mirchandani got the idea to use a tracking device for her signs from the story of Town of Fishkill Councilman John Forman. Forman was the Republican candidate for town supervisor in 2023 and had been charged after collecting 30 signs that opposed his campaign. One of the signs was equipped with a tracking device.
“I will stay focused on the issues and leave the politics as usual to the politicians.”
Mirchandani spoke to an attorney about this matter. Richard Abbate wrote that in his opinion, a “Vote for Jann Mirchandani sign is clearly a temporary opinion sign, and is therefore authorized by the Town Code. Therefore, the Town Code Enforcement Officer (Zeif) did not have the authority to remove a temporary opinion sign.”
Mirchandani does not live on a heavily trafficked road. She lives in a residential area of Yorktown, and the sign had no imact on vehicle safety. Which makes the so called explanation by Zeif less believable.
signs taken down by the Yorktown Code Enforcement officer include several Mirchandani signs and professional services
But that fact that Mirchandani used GPS to make sure her signs are not stolen is something that this reporter had never heard of. And the fact that several of her signs were found in the dumpster makes it seem that her fears about her signs “disappearing” were founded.
