LEGISLATORS VOTE TO REMOVE BORGIA AS CHAIR OVER ALLEGED CHILD PREDATOR INACTION

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Legislators Vote to Remove Borgia as Chair Over Alleged Child Predator Inaction

Mark Parolisi
April 26, 2023

In an unprecedented move, the Westchester County Board of Legislators voted to remove Catherine Borgia as Chair of that body. This removal was spurred after Borgia’s recent rejection of a call for her resignation after revelations that her employee, Anand Singh, had potentially committed child sex crimes and she only took disciplinary action after the public release of a Youtube video.

In December 2022, an amateur group called OBL Global commenced an undercover sting operation that seems to have caught Anand Singh soliciting sex from a presumed 14 year-old girl. Singh was a former Yonkers City Hall staffer and was a Westchester BOL legislative aide at the time of the incident. Days after, a viewer of the OBL operation reported Singh’s actions to two sitting legislators. Legislators Smith and Boykin were notified because they led the committees to which Singh was assigned.

Both Smith and Boykin transmitted this information to the BOL clerk for their records. Smith also notified Chairwoman Catherine Borgia. As Chair, staffers like Singh report directly to her office. Borgia released a statement that she had then directed the matter to the Department of Public Safety. However, our reporting indicates that Commissioner of that department, Terrance Raynor, advised Borgia to fire Anand Singh. But, Borgia only terminated Singh after the public release of a full Youtube video describing Singh’s actions on April 13th.

Calls for Resignation

Calls for Borgia’s resignation trickled in, culminating in a broader statement statement from the BOL on April 24th. In a quote given to Black Westchester Magazine, Borgia rejected the suggestion to step-down, and called this demand part of a “witch hunt.” But now, legislators are no longer asking.

NOTE THE LINK NO LONGER WORKS------A formal vote was held on April 26th to remove Borgia from the office of Chair.   MORE AT Borgia Removed as Chair Over Alleged Child Predator Inaction (theyonkersledger.com)

Also article from LOHUD Westchester legislators to axe leader for handling of aide allegations (lohud.com)

Updated

Top Westchester lawmaker sues to stop her removal by board for mishandling aide scandal
Chris McKenna
New York State Team

A revolt against the head of the Westchester County Board of Legislators careened into a court fight on Wednesday as lawmakers arranged to oust their chairwoman and she sued to stop them.

The 17-member board scheduled a special meeting at 4 p.m. to remove Catherine Borgia as a repudiation of her handling of reports that an aide had solicited sex from a minor in a sting operation. That move was a swift reaction to her refusing to step aside on Monday after fellow Democrats publicly asked her to do so.

But Borgia filed a lawsuit at noon to challenge their authority to remove her. When the board meeting finally began at 5 p.m., it lasted only four minutes. Nancy Barr, the vice-chairwoman who presided in Borgia's absence, read a statement saying the judge hearing Borgia's challenge had prohibited any vote until he had made an initial ruling. Westchester legislators try to ax leader but are stopped by her suit (lohud.com)