POUGHKEEPSIE – At least two lawsuits have been filed in Dutchess County Supreme Court that challenge the validity of designating petitions filed by Democrats. One case involves the City of Poughkeepsie Democratic primary for mayor and the other involves petitions filed by Republicans in Pleasant Valley.
In Poughkeepsie, designating petitions challenges have been filed at the Dutchess County Board of Elections against Democratic Mayor Marc Nelson, Democratic Councilwoman Yvonne Flowers, and Democrat Wesley Lee.
According to Michael Treybich, the attorney representing Lee, “Wesley’s team reviewed the Nelson and Flowers petitions and found that the Nelson petition was riddled with irregularities and errors. The objections are the procedure by which to ask the Board of Elections to review those irregularities.”
Nelson needed 440 valid signatures on his petition and he filed 924 signatures. Lee is challenging the validity of 641 of the signatures submitted by Mayor Nelson. If Lee is successful on having the 641 signatures disqualified, Nelson will not be on the ballot for the June Democratic primary. If some signatures are removed and Nelson still has 440 left, he will be in a three-way primary with Lee and Councilwoman Flowers. The winner of that race will be the Democratic candidate for Mayor of the City of Poughkeepsie.
In Pleasant Valley, Democratic Councilman Frank Mazzella, joined by town resident and Democratic town board candidate Merry Meyer, is seeking to have both the Republican and Conservative designating petitions filed by Jennifer Burke-Adams and John Dunn invalidated. Burke-Adams, the former secretary to Supervisor John DelVecchio, and John Dunn, a member of the town’s ZBA, are both seeking seats on the town board in November.
“Candidates for public office are required to abide by the most simple rules in order to get on the ballot. In this instance, these two candidates have chosen to circumvent the law with the invalid petitions,” Mazzella saids.
The parties in the Pleasant Valley case will make their arguments before Acting Dutchess County Supreme Court Justice Edward McLoughlin on April 25, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.
