Mount Vernon Mayor Patterson-Howard Hit With Hatch Act Violation Over Campaign Mailers
Federal investigators found Democratic Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard used city resources to sway a 2025 primary election. The ruling adds to mounting scrutiny tied to her deputy's attempted murder charge.
Mount Vernon Mayor Violated Federal Election Law, Feds Determine
Democratic Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard of Mount Vernon, New York, broke federal election law by sending campaign mailers disguised as official city correspondence, the US Office of Special Counsel has determined, according to NY Post Metro.
Patterson-Howard violated the Hatch Act — a 1939 federal statute barring state and local officials who receive federal funding from using their office to influence elections — when she distributed the mailers ahead of the June 2025 Democratic primaries. The mailings promoted five candidates she had personally endorsed for comptroller, city council, and city judge, and included a sample ballot urging residents to "cut and take with you to vote."
"The language of these campaign mailers reasonably would lead residents to believe they contained official business from their mayor, compelling them to open the envelopes when they might not otherwise do so," wrote Erica Hamrick, deputy chief of the OSC's Hatch Act Unit, in the department's ruling.
The complaint was filed by Mount Vernon activist Samuel Rivers, who accused the mayor of exploiting the trappings of her office to steer voters toward her preferred candidates. "Look at the letter — the federal government has now confirmed what residents suspected when they opened that envelope: The mayor used the power of her office to try to choose their representatives for them," Rivers said, calling for Patterson-Howard's resignation.
Federal investigators stopped short of imposing formal penalties, instead issuing a warning letter and advising Patterson-Howard that any future prohibited political activity would be treated as a willful and knowing violation of the law.
The ruling adds to a string of controversies surrounding the mayor. Patterson-Howard came under intense scrutiny after her handpicked deputy police commissioner, Jennifer Lackard, was charged with attempted murder for allegedly accompanying her son to a botched drive-by shooting outside a Bronx courthouse. Lackard's husband, James Lackard, 47 — described by authorities as a drug-dealing ex-convict — was also allegedly present in the vehicle during the incident and remained a fugitive for several days before turning himself in.
Patterson-Howard had hired Jennifer Lackard in 2020 to head the police department's Wellness Unit, a position paying $125,000 a year that was reportedly created specifically for her, despite her having no prior law enforcement experience. The mayor defended the appointment, stating that Lackard had passed a "rigorous background check."
Patterson-Howard made history in 2019 as the first woman elected mayor in Mount Vernon, a city in Westchester County. She did not respond to NY Post Metro's request for comment on the Hatch Act ruling.
Source: NY Post Metro