Mayor Shayne Gallo. (Photo: Dan Barton)
UPDATE: Judge denies Gallo appeal
The state Supreme Court hearing on Mayor Shayne Gallo’s appeal to remain on the Independence and Conservative party lines in November’s election has been scheduled for Thursday afternoon, July 30 before Judge Michael Melkonian.
The Ulster County Board of Elections ruled last week that Gallo, a Democrat, had missed the July 13 deadline by one day for officially accepting the nominations of the two parties and was therefore disqualified from appearing on those lines. (Gallo will still face challenger Steve Noble in Sept. 10’s Democratic primary.) Gallo’s private attorney/city Corporation Counsel Andrew Zweben appealed, claiming the candidate had met the deadline.
Judges have broad discretion in these cases, sometimes ruling that even if a deadline is missed, candidates should be allowed on a ballot in order to not disenfranchise voters.
Either side can appeal the judge’s ruling to the Third District’s three-judge Appellate Division.