fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Submit Your Event
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Send Letter to the Editor
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Our Newsletters
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s UP
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Subscribe to the What’s UP newsletter
  • Opinion
    • Letters
    • Columns
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Log Out
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s UP
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Subscribe to the What’s UP newsletter
  • Opinion
    • Letters
    • Columns
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Log Out
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Bad date in Ward 9: Dems bounce Brown off ballot

by Jesse J. Smith
April 14, 2016
in News
1

Republican Common Council candidate Deborah Brown was facing an uphill fight in Ward 9, where Democrats hold a more than two-to-one enrollment advantage. Then the Democrats made the hill even steeper.

Brown, who is making her second run for the downtown council seat, was bumped off the GOP party line after Democratic opponent Mark Halwick Jr. challenged her petitions and a judge threw them out based on an inadvertent and seemingly minor flaw — she neglected to include “2011” in the date on form attesting that she had witnessed the petition’s signing.

Mark Halwick.

The issue arose last month after the deadline for filing nominating petitions. To earn a place on the ballot, candidates must secure signatures from 5 percent of enrolled party members in the election district. In Ward 9, where there are 253 registered Republicans, Brown easily met the quota by the July 14 filing deadline. But Halwick, a Kingston Democratic Committee member who has carried petitions for candidates since 2003, noticed a flaw. The witness affidavit included with the petition forms read “6/30” with no indication of the year. Halwick immediately challenged the petitions. County Election Commissioners Victor Work and Thomas Turco issued a split decision on the issue with the Republican Turco claiming the petitions were valid while Democratic Commissioner Work contended that the omitted date constituted a fatal flaw.

The split vote sent the issue to State Supreme Court, where Andrew Zweben, a politically active attorney who serves as unofficial house counsel to Kingston’s Democratic Committee, argued against Brown’s right to appear on the Republican Party Line. Judge James Gilpatric agreed and ruled the petitions invalid.

Zweben conceded that there were no hints of fraud in the petitions, but added that there was no doubt that the legal definition of “date” must include the year.

Page 1 of 2
12Next
Tags: Andy ZwebenDeb Brownelection 2011Mark Halwickrondout
Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher

Jesse J. Smith

Related Posts

Ulster County breaks ground for new resilient emergency communications center in New Paltz
Politics & Government

Ulster County breaks ground for new resilient emergency communications center in New Paltz

June 1, 2025
Woodstock tussles with local immigrant protection policy
Community

Local communities targeted for sanctuary policies

May 31, 2025
Woodstock police reform group likely to present recommendations in March
Politics & Government

Sinagra lawsuit continues

May 31, 2025
Kingston police reform group calls for more community engagement, greater oversight
Crime

Kingston men who allegedly beat and robbed 22-year-old arrested after investigation

May 31, 2025
“Suspicious” death at Vanderbilt Mansion: photo of body released, police ask public to help identify
Crime

Stabbing at Saugerties hotel results in felony assault arrest

May 30, 2025
Two charged with felonies after cocaine found in New Paltz
Crime

Two charged with felonies after cocaine found in New Paltz

May 30, 2025
Next Post

Local duo equally at home at dive bars and library fairs

Please login to join discussion

Weather

Kingston, NY
57°
Fair
5:20 am8:27 pm EDT
Feels like: 57°F
Wind: 4mph W
Humidity: 63%
Pressure: 29.98"Hg
UV index: 3
TueWedThu
81°F / 54°F
88°F / 63°F
90°F / 64°F
Kingston, NY climate ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Our Newsletters
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Art
    • Books
    • Kids
    • Lifestyle & Wellness
    • Food & Drink
    • Music
    • Nature
    • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    • Hey Kingston
    • New Paltz Times
    • Woodstock Times
    • Week in Review

© 2022 Ulster Publishing