Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. is still waiting for a judge’s decision on his opponent’s claim that his Independence Party nomination is invalid because of discrepancies in Mr. Thiele’s petition.
On August 5, the Suffolk County Board of Elections declared the nomination valid, but Richard Blumenthal, who is running for Mr. Thiele’s seat, filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court. Mr. Thiele said this week the case was adjourned after judges in Suffolk County recused themselves, and it is scheduled to be heard in Queens County.
Mr. Blumenthal, who is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines, filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections in late July, charging that Mr. Thiele’s petition contained the signatures of a large number of people who are not registered with the Independence Party and that Mr. Thiele wrongfully appeared on the same petition as 1st District Assemblyman Marc Alessi.
Mr. Blumenthal said at the time he filed the lawsuit that if his claims held up in court, he hoped to see Mr. Thiele’s name taken off the ballot on the Independence Party line, leaving it blank. Mr. Thiele described the suit as an attempt to “disenfranchise independent voters.”
Mr. Thiele said 356 Independence Party voters signed his petition for reelection in 2010 and state law requires only 217.
Since then, Mr. Blumenthal has circulated separate press releases denouncing Mr. Thiele for accepting a nomination by the Working Families Party and called into question the ethics of his role as Sag Harbor Village attorney.
Mr. Blumenthal said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo who is running for governor refused a nomination by the Working Families Party, citing an ongoing federal investigation into alleged campaign finance discrepancies.
He blasted Mr. Thiele for welcoming “with open arms” what the attorney general found necessary to reject.
Mr. Thiele said he is happy to have the support of Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives and members of both the Independence and Working Families parties.
“Apparently, my opponent’s strategy for winning is to get me off the ballot entirely,” Mr. Thiele said this week. “I’m pleased with all the support that I get. What’s going on in the City of New York with Andrew Cuomo and the Working Families Party is of little concern to me.”
Mr. Blumenthal’s actions came after Mr. Thiele first filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections in July, charging that Mr. Blumenthal was violating campaign finance law by soliciting donations before forming a political committee and had yet to file a financial disclosure form.
Mr. Blumenthal has since announced the formation of his committee, “Friends of Blumenthal,” authorized to receive campaign contributions. A financial disclosure form had still not been filed by either Mr. Blumenthal or his committee as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the board’s website.
Mr. Thiele said he is confident his nomination petition will also be validated by the State Supreme Court.
on Aug 17, 2010