Ethics Law change aims to curb political pressure

The Town Board has amended the town Ethics Law to prohibit political influence of department supervisors over town employees.

The revisions were approved Wednesday after a public hearing that failed to attract any speakers.

The law was drafted in response to a complaint last year that town Parks and Buildings Superintendent Greg Chorvas tried to pressure employees to support Republican candidates during the 2015 party caucus.

“The allegation was that he had the Republican roster and used that to bring certain employees into a meeting, telling them to go to the caucus that night and vote a certain way,” said Ethics Board Chairman Albert Bruno. “There wasn’t even proof that’s what actually took place. Everybody with their testimony said he had it, but it was sitting there on his desk.”

Bruno said Chorvas was found not to have violated ethics rules because there was nothing that specifically prohibited having a list of voter registrations in a town workplace.

“He walked a fine line,” Bruno said. “It shouldn’t have been there. It was inappropriate to have that there. Unfortunately, it wasn’t against any law.”

Chorvas declined to comment about the incident or the law following Wednesday’s meeting.

Under the amended law, town employees and officials can only have political material on town property if there is a planned use for a political function, such as a party caucus or meeting.

“A town officer or employee shall not use town work time or a town workplace to influence ... to support or refuse to support a political party, committee, campaign or candidate,” the revised law states. “Officers or employees shall not display, distribute or otherwise utilize election campaign literature, campaign materials, or information or documentation regarding political affiliation on town work time or at a town workplace.”

Bruno described the revision as closing a loophole that allowed such materials to be kept in the workplace but not given to co-workers or subordinates.

The law “used to say that you weren’t able to distribute political material for any particular campaign,” Bruno said. “This changes it so you’re not allowed to have political materials, including rosters with employees’ voting part[ies],” on town property.