City Court candidate Karen Best Accused of Spreading Fake News
By Dan Murphy
The news that County Legislator David Tubiolo from Yonkers, tested positive for COVID-19 last week has taken a strange and dangerous turn, with a candidate for Yonkers City Court, Karen Best, being accused of spreading fake news over the possible spread of the virus at a Halloween event that Tubiolo had attended with parents and children from Yonkers.
Legislator Tubiolo, 33, informed the County of his positive result on Thursday October 8. “Since informing the Board of Legislators of my positive COVID-19 test result on Thursday morning, they have been working with the County Department of Health to trace and test all legislators and Board staff who had contact with me during the period of possible infection. We are pleased to report that all those tests have been negative for COVID-19,” wrote Tubiolo in an email to his constituents.
“To date, all related tests conducted by the Department of Health on personnel – even those who had not been in direct, recent contact with me – have also been negative. We will continue to work closely with the County Health Department to pursue all additional necessary tracing, testing and isolation procedures, and I am working closely with the Health Department to trace my personal contacts as well
“The novel coronavirus is still with us and we continue to take it seriously. We will continue to practice the precautions we put in place in March – including holding meetings with no in-person public participation, staggered in-office staffing, wearing masks and social distancing in the workplace – so that we can continue to protect the safety of the staff and the public. We will continue to use our video teleconferencing technology to do the work of the people of Westchester County,” said Tubiolo, who learned on October 7 that he had tested positive and has been in isolation doing well since.
County Executive George Latimer, and all other members of the County Board took a test after the announcement and all tested negative. Latimer cancelled his State of the County Address, which was to be held on October 8 out of caution after Tubiolo’s announcement. “Unlike what we have seen out of officials in Washington, D.C., here in Westchester we believe in science, we believe in medicine and we believe in trusting their years of experience-based guidance,” said Latimer.
Several days after testing positive, Tubiolo then announced that he had subsequently taken two COVID tests which came back negative. “Thank you to everyone for the overwhelming support and care you’ve expressed upon hearing the the news that I had received a positive test result for COVID-19. In two recent tests, I’ve tested negative,” said Tubiolo.
The more disturbing part of this story comes in the form of rumors and “Fake News” which should not happen during the Coronavirus. On October 10, The Matthew Wallace Foundation held a Halloween Costume giveaway at St. Barnabus High School on McLean Avenue. The Matthew Wallace foundation is named after Matthew Wallace who died after being fatally struck by a Metro-North train in 2014.
Jeni Long-Wallace is Matthew’s mother, who has heroically forged on to try to make good out of her son’s death with the foundation. Over 300 costumes were collected and handed out, putting a smile on many kids.
Legislator Tubiolo was not present at this event but was present at a prior Wallace Foundation Halloween event on Octobrer 2.
Karen Best, one of the democratic candidaates for Yonkers City Court, wrote a story on The Yonkers Tribune which raised doubts about whether Tubiolo had passed the virus to those at the Oct 2 event, most notably Verris Shako, who is also running for City Court, and Jeni Wallace the host of the events.
“The Matthew Wallace Foundation’s Jeni Wallace had her Halloween Costume event at YCAP on October 2nd as was Westchester County Legislator David Tubiolo who had tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19). With them, was Verris Shako, one of three Democrats running for Yonkers City Court Judge. Ironically, the day Legislator David Tubiolo lost his sense of smell, David attended NYS Assemblyman Nader Sayegh’s health fair. He was also listed on Shako’s men’s fundraiser. On Saturday, October 10th, Verris Shako attended The Matthew Wallace Halloween Costume giveaway event, which out of caution should have been postponed,” wrote Best.
Jeni Wallace responded to the Best story, writing “I have never tested positive for COVID 19 or any other strain. Every COVID test I was administered was negative. A Department of Health contact tracer called me. She asked a list of questions. At the end of the Q&A I was told there was no need for me to quarantine. This all happened after October 2 and before October 10.
“As a mother who is suffering the greatest loss of her life I would never put a child in danger and cause another parent to feel this relentless emptiness and pain. Unfortunately we live in a world where it has become common Sport to tear people down via social media. Sadly it has also become a practice for politicians running for office to spew liable allegations expecting no consequences.
“Karen Best Campaign, who is running for a Yonkers City Court Judge seat, wrote to me that she did not author the letter to the editor. She also wrote to me that she requested her “name be removed” from the published liable piece.. Her name was removed the evening the piece was published. Then it magically appeared again the next day. I alerted Karen Best that her name was once again attached to the liable piece. Karen Best wrote back to me stating that the editor refused to remove her name. I responded she should seek legal action since she’s claiming she never wrote the liable piece.
“Judge Karen Best is a public official which means her words and statements carry weight even though she is new to Yonkers. Her being named the author of that liable piece is directly damaging my character and reputation. Karen Best being the author of that liable letter to the editor has cast a dark shadow on the foundation we started in memory of my son Matthew. I will not stand for this. My sons memory is all I have left of him,” wrote Jen Wallace.
Based on the fact that Best’s name is now attached to the story currently on the Yonkers Tribune, it appears that Best was not being truthful to Wallace when she said she did not author the letter. More important, it is not in the interests of anyone in Yonkers to scare parents and children who attended Halloweeen events, when Best had no specific health information to do so.
