Someone who attended Speaker Christine Quinn’s press conference yesterday was kind enough to send over this transcription of her explanation of the new, voluntary certification process for incoming Council members. (Newly sworn-in member Mathieu Eugene, who couldn't take his seat the first time he won election because he couldn't demonstrate that he met residency requirements, opted not to participate in the voluntary certification.)
Here's Quinn:
"Dr. Eugene complied with some of our requests, not all. He did not sign the affidavit form. He did present us with documentation that clearly indicated that he is over eighteen. He gave us documentation that clearly indicated that he was a resident of this district prior to the second special election. There's nothing to indicate, we do not believe that he was ever a violator of the Civil Service Law. He provided us with some information as it related to his citizenship status, we did not believe that information was sufficient, we conducted an independent investigation and have confirmed that he is a citizen and therefore meets all of the thresholds of the State Public Officers Law."
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Eugene had said signing the affadavit would violate his rights.
“I believe that signing the affidavit was a clear violation of number 615 of the Voting Rights Act of New York City,” he said. “And I respectfully refused to sign it, because I didn't want to be in violation of these rules."
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