TOWN OF NEW WINDSOR, NY — Town of New Windsor Board member Bonnie C. Brennan has initiated a lawsuit arising from the conduct of her opponents during the 2012 elections. Brennan charges that her opponent, Jack D’Angelo, assisted by the chair of the Town of New Windsor Republican Committee, Carmen Dubaldi, obtained a photo from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and ran a series of advertisements in a local newspaper and sent a mailer falsely accusing Brennan of having a criminal record.

Brennan’s attorneys say Brennan had been the victim of repeated instances of domestic abuse, had no criminal record and worked, as she still does, as an appellate attorney for the Legal Aid Society of the City of New York.

Brennan said, “I brought this suit because there must be limits on the tactics employed even during political campaigns. My town’s Republican party reached shameful lows last campaign, using a picture of an abused and bedraggled-looking woman—me—and suggesting that I had an extensive criminal record. While I remain gratified that Town of New Windsor voters overwhelmingly rejected this smear campaign, I firmly believe that those who behave as Mr. D’Angelo, Mr. Dubaldi and Sheriff DuBois did should be held accountable through our legal system.”