Jann Mirchandani, Democratic candidate for Yorktown Supervisor
A recent opinion piece by Councilman Murphy, “Public safety deserves facts, not fear,” takes issue with an article I wrote. What stands out is what it doesn’t do. It doesn’t dispute a single fact I raised. Instead, it offers “not excuses” for the decisions behind them.
In his retelling of the “years of history” of the Underhill Farms project, Mr. Murphy leaves out one fact readers should know: his brother serves as a consultant on that project. As a citizen, he has every right to speak. As an elected official, he has an ethical obligation to disclose that relationship and to step back from votes involving the project.
He hasn’t done that consistently. He cast votes on multiple resolutions tied to Underhill Farms, including one authorizing payments to the developer. On the Route 118 and Underhill Avenue intersection project, he recused himself from four resolutions in May 2025, then voted yes on a budget transfer for the same project two months later. This past March, he seconded and voted on a resolution tied to the same consulting relationship, and recused himself only after a fellow Board member objected on the record.
Titling a piece “facts, not fear” while leaving out the fact most relevant to the reader is misleading. And recusing oneself only after being called out in public isn’t accountability or transparency.
In 2024, this Board amended Yorktown’s Code of Ethics. The code includes a formal definition of recusal. So the problem isn’t that the rules are unclear. The rules are written down. They just aren’t being applied regularly.
And people are noticing. If there is one thing I hear more than anything else when I am knocking on doors, it’s that people are tired of the Old Boys’ Network. Residents have spoken out at Town Board meetings about how they see one set of standards being applied to developers and another for residents.
An executive who doesn’t execute
My opponent likes to describe himself as the Town’s executive. But the title comes with a job, and the job is making sure the basics happen every time.
Consistently applying the rules for recusals is one of those basics. Either the Supervisor didn’t notice, or he noticed and ignored it. Neither is what residents should expect from the person in charge.
That’s the difference between holding a title and doing the job. When the process breaks down, and the person in charge says nothing, that isn’t leadership. It’s chaos.
What competence looks like
The solution requires a Supervisor willing to enforce the standard the Board already put in writing.
First, disclosure up front. Every Board member files, and must keep current, a list of family and business relationships with applicants, consultants, and contractors who come before the Town.
Second, one project, one answer. If a Board member recuses on a project, that recusal covers every resolution tied to it, including budget transfers, payments, and grant applications.
Third, a public record. Every recusal, and the reason for it, needs to be sent to the Clerk in writing, noted in the minutes, and easy for residents to find online.
These are basic steps well-run towns take as routine. They protect residents, they protect the Town, and frankly they protect Board members too.
Yorktown residents shouldn’t have to play detective to catch conflicts of interest themselves. A lone Board member shouldn’t have to argue for the policy to be applied. Good government works only when the rules are applied evenly and consistently, and when leadership ensures they are. That’s the difference between competence and chaos, and it’s the kind of Supervisor I intend to be.