WESTCHESTER COUNTY: Spreckman committeship gets criticized by minority and gay leaders

Spreckman committeship gets criticized by minority and gay leaders.

County Legislator Bernice Spreckman from Yonkers, A Republican has been criticized for being given committee on Minority & Gay Rights issues. This is another questionable decision by County Board Chair William Ryan. Spreckman voted against setting up a Human Rights Commission in 1999. She also was against setting up a County Registry for unmarried partners including Same Sex Couples.

Spreckman will chair the Generational, Cultural and Ethnic Diversity committee, covering issues related to seniors; youth; ethnic minorities; the office of the disabled; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues; and even education.

Ryan says he did not take into account Spreckman’s voting record on these issues. This is another example of Bill Ryan’s bad decisions hurting the people of Westchester.

But Karen Edmonson, president of the Yonkers chapter of the NAACP, said she was "kind of stunned" to hear that minority and gay issues had been put under Spreckman's umbrella. "It's kind of odd for Bernice Spreckman to handle such issues based on her voting record," Edmonson said. "I'm particularly concerned about her sensitivity toward (them). ... It's kind of surprising she would even accept such an assignment."

Also Yvette Christofilis, executive director of the Loft, a gay and lesbian community services center in White Plains, also worries. "Bernice Spreckman is a great leader in the senior community," she said. But on gay rights issues, Spreckman "has a terrible track record, she's not a friend of the community, and it does not seem she would be able to put aside her own personal feelings ... in order to be a fair committee head."

Other comments from community leaders include: Human Rights Commission director Delores Scott Brathwaite called Spreckman a "capable legislator" whom she hoped would be open-minded. "Quite often people who oppose certain positions and strategies subsequently have a change of heart and mind when they have the opportunity to become directly or intimately involved in the issues and the process," Brathwaite said. "I think we ought to just give her an opportunity and a chance."

Likewise, Ingrid Barnes, president of the Log Cabin Republicans' Hudson Valley chapter, said that, while she had concerns about Spreckman's record, she would take a "wait and see" approach. Asked to respond to people's concerns about her role, Spreckman said: "Try me. I am a fair person. Come in, I'll listen, and I'll do what's right."

Mr. Ryan, this seems like a very controversial appointment. You may want to rethink this?