A Democratic primary candidate for Rockland County executive knocked off the ballot last week is fighting back, and the matter will be decided in court.
Rockland County Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner Kristen Stavisky says Village of Suffern Mayor Dagan LaCorte was removed last week from the ballot in the race for Rockland County executive.
She says the 1,926 signatures fell short of the 2,000 required, thus invalidating the petition. She says signatures were ruled invalid for the following reasons.
There are, at this point, two primary candidates - county legislator Ilan Schoenberger and former county legislator and Spring Valley justice David Fried. It was Fried’s campaign that filed numerous objections to LaCorte’s petition signatures, the same day state Senator David Carlucci, an independent Democrat from Rockland County, endorsed LaCorte. Fried, meanwhile, has the endorsements of two previous employers – former President Bill Clinton and Congresswoman Nita Lowey.
Again, here’s Stavisky.
The matter is slated to be resolved in state Supreme Court beginning Wednesday. LaCorte’s campaign did not return calls in time for this broadcast. LaCorte posted a message on his Facebook page, alleging that Fried and Stavisky, who is also the head of Rockland’s Democratic Committee, disenfranchised hundreds of the county’s Democrats by manipulating election laws to have him thrown off the ballot. He says his campaign continues and he has retained election lawyer Jerry Goldfeder, former special counsel to Governor Cuomo and several political candidates.
Stephen Papas is Fried’s campaign manager.
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef, a Republican, announced last year he would not seek reelection to a sixth term. The winner of the Democratic primary faces Republican County Legislator Ed Day.
