1998 public letters
Suggested caption: Dumas pled guilty
Thanks to the Sullivan County Democrat and to staff writer John Emerson for your March 6th front-page account of the Sullivan County Action Coalition's candidate night in Monticello.
An error crept into the article, however, in relation to remarks attributed to me. The violent charge which I asked Village Trustee hopeful Alvin Dumas to explain was not dismissed, as asserted.
He was accused of battering a woman who shared his address; that he "did strike her in the head and body with [his] fist." He pled guilty to Harassment and was sentenced.
I did not ask about Mr. Dumas' later misdemeanor Assault 3rd arrest, as reported, but confined my question at the forum to the offense for which he was convicted, as well as how his propensities might effect his attitude as a prospective legislator toward matters of policy on domestic violence. The misdemeanor charge has been noted in the press, but not on that night.
At the conclusion of the evening I also called on Mr. Dumas to explain an additional arrest which occurred just last month, for allegedly harassing a woman at ShopRite. He did not answer. These questions are fair.
A history of this nature, including a pending charge, illustrates a behavior problem in a candidate which relates to his suitability for office.
Let people of good will in Monticello base their March 17th vote on informed appraisals of the content of each candidates' character, not the color of their skin. The four qualified individuals running for Trustee are: Thomas Mack, Gary Sommers, Vincent Gilmore, and Michael Levinson.
Sullivan County Democrat, Callicoon, NY, 03-10-1998
Dumas' past significant
I am writing to ask Monticello Village Trustee candidate Alvin Dumas to publicly explain the facts and circumstances which led to him to plead "Guilty" to a charge of harassing a woman and "striking her in the head and body with [his] fist," as well as to explain the circumstances which led to his arrest for Assault 3rd three years later. What do such acts say about a man?
He told a reporter that one of the incidents involved "a family dispute." The Assault 3rd arrest, Mr. Dumas refused to explain, stating that because the court record is sealed he can keep it secret. The charge and disposition, however, are not sealed. He should describe what occurred.
The vote on Mr. Dumas may be seen as a message about the public's level of concern and respect for our own wives, sisters, mothers, daughters, and indeed ourselves. Elected office should be an honor reserved for role-models and a community's best, brightest, and most qualified. A record of physically striking another person -- whether as means of exercising power and control, or of engaging in private or in public disputes -- carries critical implications which relate to a candidate's attitude toward women and humanity and his qualifications for public leadership.
Family violence is not a private affair in the State of New York. Is it in Monticello?
Surely anyone can change, including men who beat women. But the idea of a man with a documented record of such attacks, at any point in his adult life, attempting to elevate himself to a policy- or lawmaking position is problematic. These questions should have been brought to light when Mr. Dumas ran for Trustee and lost two years ago. Who is behind this man? What party bosses or hacks want him in office, and why?
Of men who strike women, a large percentage do so as part of a pattern of conduct. Isolated instances of spouse-battery are relatively rare. Police contacts are relatively infrequent compared with the incidence of battering behind closed doors. The fact that Mr. Dumas apparently had two such incidents filed in Village of Monticello Justice Court, a few years apart, is significant in my view.
Mr. Dumas most recent (and still pending) charge of harassing a woman on Broadway in Monticello raises more questions about his judgement and character.
Let him have courage to come forward and explain his behavior, as well as what his attitude toward domestic violence as a policy issue would be if he were elected as a Village legislator.
Monticello voters who are concerned about Mr. Dumas' record are urged to vote on March 17th.
The River Reporter, Narrowsburg, NY, 02-08-1998
Sullivan County Democrat, Callicoon, NY, 02-09-1998
03-24-1998