Brooklyn, NY – Amid alleged dirty politics, Republican candidate Jonathan Judge was thrown off the ballot Tuesday for the special 44th District City Council election.
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State Supreme Court Judge Larry Martin ruled that Judge only had 750 valid signatures on his petitions, 15 short of the needed 765.
The decision came about two weeks after the city’s Board of Elections (BOE) ruled that Judge had 786 valid signatures of his 1,221 signatures total collected.
Democratic candidate David Greenfield contested the signatures first at the BOE level and then in court. He had the backing of Kings County Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez and used noted election law attorney Carl Landicino, who Lopez often utilizes in such challenges.
“The ruling today is one absurdity on top of another. I had more than enough signatures,” said Judge. “This is the product of machinations of the Brooklyn Democratic machine under Vito Lopez and collusion with the Brooklyn Republican Party leadership and State Senator Marty Golden.”
Specifically, Judge maintained that the Board of Elections didn’t allow him to reinstate some 100 signatures collected by former Republican District leader Susan Cleary.
The signatures were disallowed by Diane Rudiano, chief clerk of the Brooklyn Board of Elections and the secretary of the Kings County Republican party.
The two worked together as poll site workers and yet Rudiano accepted the allegation that Cleary was not even a registered voter, said Judge.
Judge, who is appealing the decision on the state and possibly federal level, alleged Golden cut a deal with Lopez to support the liberal Greenfield in exchange for the Democratic Party boss to lay low in working for a Democrat to defeat Golden in the upcoming senatorial election.
Golden called the allegation one of the most ridiculous he’s heard in his life.
“Obviously he (Judge) didn’t do the work he should have and didn’t get enough signatures,” said Golden.
“He would have been a qualified candidate but he didn’t take responsibility for his own inactions,” he added.
Golden said he supported Greenfield two weeks before he found out any Republicans were running in the district and noted that Republican Kenneth Rice remains in the race.
Golden said three Democrats are running against him and he expects one to get the support of the Kings County Democratic Party.
The court decision comes as the Greenfield campaign continues to lose ground against Democrat Joe Lazar, who is also running for the seat.
Lazar picked up the endorsement of Comptroller John Liu and The Jewish Press last week, (as was reported here on VIN News).
Lazar, who has the strong backing of Assemblymember Dov Hikind, is alsogaining solid support and endorsements in the Borough Park end of the district, which has the largest voting block.
The district also includes Midwood and Bensonhurst.
Under New York’s arcane election laws which totally favor incumbents, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Z’tl, could not have been elected to the City Council from Brooklyn.
and the beat goes on!!
i think milton bradley should come out with a new came and we will call it politicks. you make up the rules as you go.
Who cares about this brooklyn stupidity? They are all crooked and greedy there.
i dont know what they would do with david greenfeld in the real torah times back then, i am deffintly nt voting for you david only for joe lazar
Marty Golden is one to talk. Throw all of the bums out. Golden and Lopez included! Best wishes to Mr. Judge and, even though I’m not voting to him, Mr. Lazar!
Greenfield is wasting our time with lawsuits! It’s time WE made the decision as to who the winner will be. I have no respect for his way of doing politics!
Vote Judge!
What I like about Lazar and Judge is that they are not connected to Vito Lopez. Judge did so well in the debate though! Joe Lazar is a good man, but Judge is a bright new face and should be our next councilman. That’s my opinion.
Greenfield has just lost my vote. Greenfield should be ashamed for kicking people off the ballot.
we in borop ark will make sure to have a our own guy rubning against marty golden i am voting now for lazar but if david will run aginst marty i will back him all the way
Greenfield and the democratic party machine- ie Vito Lopez.
If Greenfield wins, then Vito Lopez will be king in Boro Park.
Keep Vito Lopez out of Boro Park!!!
A vote for greenfield is a vote for Lopez.
I dont see Greenfield’s problem with Judge not having enough signatures to be on the ballot. Greenfield doesn’t have enough votes to win the seat and yet he thinks he can take it by force by throwing “qualified candidates” off the ballot and spreading dirt on others!
I don’t understand, a former District Leader is apparently not even a registered voter? Something smells fishy here. Why are Golden and Lopez allowing themselves to get their names dirtied (even more) over this? It only stands to hurt them, especially with the backlash against Albany and incumbents. But most of all, I am extremely disgusted with Greenfield’s tactics and voting for anyone else except him.
I am totally fed up with the tactics used by David Greenfield in trying to prance on peoples personal liberties that I have made up my mind, and am not voting for greenfield, period. Using loopholes and tactics is not the way an election should be held, even though time and again it is. I know I have worked many elections and it shouldn’t be that way. My final thought is that it’s a Charpah and Busha that a yid would make a Chillul Hashem and really show how negative some yidden are. He should be inclusionary not exclusionary. Shame on you David. You just lost the election.
Greenfield the boychick lost my vote.
go greenfield, go! don’t read this nonsense! fight the fight!
Jonathan Judge was the bright future that we were all looking for. He was removed from the ballot not due to not having the correct amount of signatures, he was removed from the ballot because he wasn’t part of NYC’s “axis of evil”
From the start of this election season, I have realized that this election wasn’t based on character, nor based on merit. Rather this campaign was based on political parties fighting to get a slice of power.
How sorry it is, that the same dirty tactics that Borack Obama used to obtain his State Senate seat, Greenfield has used to try to obtain the City Council seat. Is this really how low we as a society have sunk? Are we that desperate to push our views and ideologies on one another, that we have to look for loop holes to run un-opposed?
What happened to the elections that were based on merit? What happened to the elections that made you proud to support a candidate? What happened to that American image of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We should pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and put a stop to back room political dealing. Why is it that political machines choose who should win an election, (continued)
people you only get one vote every time greenfeld name comes up the same antis pop up how many votes do you think you have people have for greenfeld to lose agai and again
I was made up in my mind to Vote for Lazar But now I see that Greenfeld is a fighter so we Boro Park Needs some one to fight for us here so I think not to be ashamed and go for Greenfeld
this lazar guy is basicaly dov hikind’s puppet, dov why weren’t you on the same page as simcha felder I guess simcha didn’t follow your orders
I am sickened by the tactics being used by Greenfield and his supporters. I will never vote for him even for dog catcher!
What’s wrong with you commentors? what’s wrong with challenging a candidate’s validity, why does that make him a bad guy ? if they can prove legal voters they stay on, if not off they go, it’s only fair … I have a feeling these commentors are all Lazar minded and are using this challenge to smear greenfield. besides i personally don’t think Lazar has what it takes to fight for our community in City Hall, other than being Dov (do nothing) Hikind’s puppet…
Greenfeld has my vote he bought in for the yeshivas $20 mil for the tutor program by me “money talks”
Can someone please check Greenfield’s credentials? The more he is in this race it seems he is really from Chicago, playing Chicago style politics to a tee.
So much for his Kiddish HaShem campaign.
Wow i should have run for elections here … a laughing stock
Guys: it’s the same problem what Williamsburg community is facing by indorsing a young puppet of Vito Low-Paz ! this Greenfield guy with any experience Whats so ever, this young Levine was the only one out of seven candidates to challenge the votes at 33district.. This is a perfect example how the system works with Vito low-paz!!!
Let’s show ones for all we need somebody with experience and knowledge to serve our community as best that’s would be our friend Joe Lazar. Let’s wish him lots of HATZLUCHA.for his success…
Dumb move for Greenfield. I was going to vote for Judge, but if I can’t because of Greenfield’s lawsuit, then I’m voting Lazar. What an idiot.
who is simcha felder endorsing
Greenfield is just as heimish as lazar he went to klausenberger yeshiva and torah vodath
How much experience did Simcha Felder have when he ran the 1st time for the city council race?
Greenfield is in with the corrupt Democrat political machine. Any sensible person, including those who would have voted for Judge, should cast their ballot for Joe Lazar.
I don’t remember Simcha ever getting involved in such low tactics. An absolute disgrace that someone named Lopez from who knows where influences a race in BP.
If anyone who knew Jonathan Judge they would know he is the most divisive figure in the Kings County Republican Party. Mr. Judge aligned himself with former assmeblyman Arnaldo Ferraro who’s son shot a cop in the bathroom and served several years in prision.
The talk about Mrs. Cleary is hogwash, as a vice chair in the KCRP she refused to attend meetings, and claimed to help rebuild the party, yet gave no money to any candidates. Mrs. Cleary’s son was also involved in a very troubling case with the Mark Fisher death, and she and her son stonewalled evidence in the case which is a fact.
Mr. Judge himself is tied to Mr. Lopez and the Kings County Democratic Party machine since Mr. Judge has a $23 an hour patronage job at the offices of Community Board 14 which was given to him from a Democratic City Councilman.
Mr. Judge’s club the Brooklyn Young Republicans do not collect signatures for party candidates, and have divided the Kings County Republican Party in their dealings.
Mr. Judge has himself to blame not Senator Marty Golden, Mr. Judge’s treasure of the Brooklyn Young Republicans was the one who challenged Mr. Greenfield and the other Republican in the race Kenneth Rice.
Simcha was a class act, and he did a great job for this district.
Be that as it may I will be voting for Ken Rice.
Why has Mr Greenfield put up posters on lamp posts around boro park? is he not aware it is illegal?
There’s still an another Republican in the race come March 23rd.
Ken Rice is that Republican, we need neighborhood reform, let’s send him to city hall to fight for us, and do what’s right.
That’s simple because Mr. Judge refused to support Republican candidates across the board in the past election cycle.
Mr. Judge has not given a single dime to the Kings County Republican Party.
His silence at several Kings County Republican Party meetings toward his non support of his predecessor in the 2009 City Council Race in the 43rd district is deafening.
Mr. Judge is also involved in a blog called Atlas Shrugs that was the brain child of him and several members of the club he is president of the Brooklyn Young Republicans in which has regularly attacked Kings County Republican Party Chairman Craig Eaton, State Senator Marty Golden, and hindered the chances of Mr. Judge’s predecessor Bob Capano in the 43rd council district the most competitive race against any incumbent in the 2009 City Council elections.
Mr. Judge has posted several articles on blogs of various sites routinely bashing the Kings County Republican Party, and it’s candidates.
Mr. Judge has also tied himself toward two very controversial figures in Arnaldo Ferraro, and Lucretia Regina Potter.
This is why 33 out of 36 the executive committee members of the Kings County Republican Party voted against him.
By the way number 46 since you know Jonathan Judge tell me something.
Jonathan has talked a lot about reform in his tenure as President of the Brooklyn Young Republicans yet why was it that he intentionally authorized his club’s bi-laws to keep out his job at Community Board 14 when the job itself is a City Government Job.
Jonathan now complains about election laws, but why did he try to use it to his advantage by challenging not one but two candidates petitions by way of his treasurer in the Brooklyn Young Republicans.
Jonathan has talked a lot about reform yet why won’t his treasurer disclose how much funds his club has on hand, and why won’t his club file a disclosure statement like the Kings County Republican Party has toward it’s finances.
Didn’t Jonathan himself fabricate the Gerry Obrien incident, when Marty Cottingham who was present at this incident disputed Jonathan’s claims.
Jonathan Judge also denied membership of a woman into his club, Lesli Rice because she explained to him correctly the City’s campaign finance laws.
Jonathan is also the same person who has all but admitted to running a blog Atlas Shrugs that deletes comments of those who disagree with its views.
Hey #47 isn’t Jonathan Judge the one who fabcriated the Gerry Obrien story?
Seems to me Jonathan wants to challenge candidates, yet when he gets challenged, it’s all someone else’s fault.
If conservative ideas were brought out so much by the Judge campaign than why couldn’t he collect the valid number of signatures to make the ballot.
Why will the YR’s matter?
How many of them actually collected signatures for him curious?
If that club was so strong he would have got at least more signatures than Ken Rice right?
Also why hasn’t he time and time again gone on blogs to attack Republicans who were actually conservative?
Why is he complaining about the election laws now, when he tried to use them to his advantage?
Good riddance.
Don’t let the door hit Judge on the way out.
David greenfield all the way