June 6, 2016

To: Members of the Westchester County News Media

From: Bill O'Reilly on Behalf of Julie Killian for State Senate

Re: Anatomy of a Smear Job, George Latimer Style

A lot of people ask how entrenched politicians remain in office year after year when the vast majority of the public consistently indicates in surveys that they want fresh voices in office and career politicians sent home.  

This week we were given a textbook example of how one Albany incumbent accomplishes this using innuendo and outright falsehoods to distract the public from the important issues at hand, often with the help of third-party actors.

State Senator George Latimer, who's been in public office since 1989, is a proven expert in these tactics. He's won two close re-election races using the same basic method: His campaign shops an ugly story about an opponent to a reporter or blogger, and then uses the resulting headline as the basis for tens of thousands of dollars worth of hyperbolic advertising that portray the competing candidate as unfit for office.

Mr. Latimer notoriously did this in 2012 when he portrayed a respected New York City real estate executive as a "slumlord."  In 2014, Mr. Latimer squeaked by on Election Day by hypocritically attacking his opponent for a personal finance challenge that he himself was facing.

The issues that actually mattered in those years (and still do) -- high property taxes, mandate relief, ethics reform, school funding, covered up sexual assaults in Albany -- took a back seat to discussions about nonsense.

That's how they stay in office.

Now, Mr. Latimer is at it again.  His target this time is Rye City Councilwoman Julie Killian, a pro-term-limits mother of five and a longtime community advocate, challenging Mr. Latimer for state senate this year.  

Through a dubious "news" site calling itself "Rye City Roundup" came a screaming, all-caps headline last week: " NEW YORK STATE PLACES TAX LIEN ON COUNCILWOMAN JULIE KILLIAN'S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ESTATE."

That, along with an absurdly inaccurate story, was sent by email to a large list of Westchester voters and proliferated via Facebook, and presumably other social media channels. The fabricated headline will almost certainly end up in Latimer advertisements, if history is any guide.

Let's make it clear: There is no tax lien on the Killian's home. To suggest otherwise is patent fabrication.   

The tax issue apparently at hand was a 2011 income tax filing disagreement between the Killians and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance that generated a $517 tax warrant.  The matter stemmed from the State's two-week filing extension provided to state taxpayers due to Hurricane Irene.  The warrant was fully satisfied in 2012 and it consisted of a $90 penalty and $427 of interest. No taxes were unpaid.

Compare that with this and it will tell you how Mr. Latimer has remained in office all these years.   

For the record, the Killians had another minor issue with the State Tax Department 15 years ago. I'll relay it here for full transparency and disclosure.

In 2001, an outside tax service made an error filing employment taxes for a household employee. The Killians promptly paid the $872 due the state.

More than anything, that error taught Julie -- a Chemical Engineer with an MBA -- just how complicated New York's tax code has become for families and businesses.  It's no wonder we're ranked the least business friendly state in America.

Julie is often asked why good people don't run for office. Smear jobs like the one above are clearly one of the reasons. When you run, you open up yourself, your family, and your hard-earned professional credentials to false and increasingly vicious attacks.  

Which brings us back to "Rye Roundup."  It's also wrongly suggesting that the Killian Family donated to a 501 c4 organization that opposes publicly financed elections. They have not.  But that doesn't stop the site from spreading innuendo.

I mention all this because as journalists potentially covering this race you will no doubt see more of this refuse emanating from the Latimer campaign and/or its confederates.

You won't see it from us: Instead of digging into the mud, the Killian campaign will work to stay focused on the issues that matter to Westchester families: tax relief for families and small businesses, mandate relief, term limits for Albany legislators, school funding, drug abuse prevention, and helping those most in need.

Yes, we'll vigorously challenge Mr. Latimer on his record, but we will not engage in ugly personal smears.

Thank you for taking the time to read this brief memo. And please feel free to reach out to me during this campaign at 914-282-1252 or by email at [email protected]. We promise to get back to you quickly, accurately, and reputably.

###