At the January 22, 2018 meeting of the Dutchess County Legislature, Democrats were finally able to bring forward a measure to censure Republican Legislator Joseph Incoronato of Wappinger for his repeated statements blaming victims of rape and sexual violence for their fate.
The censure vote had been delayed and then blocked by the Republicans in late 2017 after Incoronato issued a last minute apology memo. They ran out the clock and got past election season in the hope it would just go away.
”Our legislator from Wappinger apologized for the remarks that he made, recognized that he made them inappropriately and as a result of that action I said that we will not be entertaining a censure on this floor,” said Legislator Dale Borchert (R-LaGrange) who was Chairman of the Legislature last year. “Having done that I would stick by that decision I made back in the fall.”
Borchert made his statements as members of the public held up #metoo signs.
But if you read the local media coverage you might think it was the GOP’s idea to censure Incoronato.
In reality, the newly expanded and empowered 11-member Democratic caucus had submitted the resolution for consideration through regular order but had it rejected by the Republican leadership who suddenly insisted that censures had to be brought forward during Other Business under unanimous consent.
This new procedure stood in stark contrast to last year’s Republican-led censure of a Democrat that Borchert and the Republican majority had no objection to parading through a multi-month and multi-meeting committee process to maximize the political damage during election season.
Worse still, unanimous consent would require that none of the 14 Republicans raise an objection to considering the censure: something that should be impossible since Incoronato himself would certainly object. But although he was seen in the county building Monday night before the meeting, he was nowhere to be found when it started.
Finally, doing it this way also meant the public would not be able to speak on the issue (and presumably crucify any wavering Republicans) before it might come to a vote, since it would not appear on the printed agenda. The chamber’s rules state that only agenda items can be addressed by the public at the start of meetings so they would have to wait until the end of the meeting to voice their concerns about Incoronato.
The censure measure might not have ever seen the light of day had Incoronato just apologized and kept his mouth shut.
Democratic legislators detailed his delay in apologizing and then his comments in the press afterward where Incoronato talked of being pardoned and exonerated by being re-elected. This included an unrepentant and defiant letter printed in a local paper the Sunday before the meeting where he played the victim and politicized the process.
Other comments by legislators included the moving admission by one of her status as a survivor and what it feels like to have to serve with Incoronato.
At that point, it appears most Republican legislators finally found it politically impossible not to throw their fellow Republican under the bus.
After much discussion, it passed 23-1. The only dissenting vote was Republican Alan Surman of Dover, Incoronato’s seatmate.
A number of survivors of sexual assault spoke at the end of the meeting in favor of the censure.