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Last week, Davis was notified that he was taken off the ballot after hundreds of signatures nominating him were deemed invalid on his petition. In total, more than 2,300 signatures of his 2,758 signatures were invalidated, which the former mayor called “suspicious.”
Mayoral hopefuls who want their names on the June 25 ballot require 750 valid signatures from supporters.
Davis announced that he will be filing an appeal in the Westchester County Supreme Court in White Plains this week to contest the recent decision by the Board of Elections. He was joined by his attorney, Susan Russell, on Monday when he made the appeal official.
The former mayor accused another former mayor, Clinton Young, of improprieties.
“I had more signatures than any other candidate, approximately 2,758 signatures,” he said. “To have over 2,300 signatures invalidated is suspicious. Clinton Young who challenged my petitions, has a sister working for the Elections Commissioner Reginald Lafayette and she is additionally Treasurer of the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee. The commissioner himself is on Democratic Party candidate Clyde Isley’s side, leaving little to the imagination.”
Davis said that he has been “receiving increasing support from the community and many are eager to have him return to office.”
“I chose to run in this campaign because I believe that Mount Vernon is at a major crossroads and I possess the skills necessary to put the city back on its feet,” he said. “To deny voters the opportunity to vote for the candidate they signed for is particularly disturbing. Mount Vernon has had its share of confidence-shaking experiences. Enough is enough.”
A former Mount Vernon building commissioner and 12 year Westchester County legislator, Davis served three terms as mayor after being elected in 1995, but lost to Young in 2007. Davis took the office back in 2011, but found himself mired in controversy and ultimately pleaded guilty to federal tax charges before being ousted by Thomas in 2015, who faces legal issues of his own.
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