Spitzer’s attack against BUFNY included his replacing the organization’s board with five new members, all of them Republicans from Nassau and Suffolk County.
[Op-Ed: Open Letter]
Governor David Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
August 19, 2008
Dear Governor Paterson,
I am writing to ask that you immediately rectify an injustice stemming from Eliot Spitzer’s unwarranted destruction of the Black United Fund of New York when he served as attorney general.
Spitzer’s attack against BUFNY included his replacing the organization’s board with five new members, all of them Republicans from Nassau and Suffolk County. They included Lance D. Clark, Esq., Bettye A. Easley, Delores C. Kershaw and William Davis. The fifth new member, Briding Newell, replaced me as chief executive officer, even though I had committed no crime and was never accused of one.
While I and other former board members were banished from the organization, the new board kept a 2002 Dodge Caravan van that BUFNY had leased. Yet they failed to pay the leasing fees for over two years. As a result, the leasing company, Magnum Leasing Corp, repossessed the van. The company sued BUFNY and me, as the organization’s top official at the time the lease was originated. Since it appears that BUFNY no longer exists, I am held liable for the lease payments. There is now a judgment against me for $8,000, a copy of which is enclosed.
Since this situation grew out of the actions of a New York State official, I am calling on you and Attorney General Cuomo to correct it. This unfair judgment has caused me much inconvenience and could result in great financial harm.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this serious matter.
Sincerely,
Kermit Eady
