Eric Adams Now Running Unopposed for Borough President
The battle for Brooklyn borough president is now a one-man race.
Supreme Court Justice David Schmidt quashed candidate John Gangemi’s attempt to get on the ballot Thursday — siding with his rival, state Sen. Eric Adams, who argued the former councilman didn’t collect enough signatures to be on the ballot.
The 75-year-old submitted more than 6,000 names of Brooklynites supporting his bid, but Adams convinced the court and the Board of Elections that more than two-thirds of the John Hancocks were invalid.
Gangemi needed to hand over 2,000 signatures of Democrats living in Kings County by the July 11 filing deadline.
But the judge determined he had properly collected only 1,809 names.
“We have found multiple violations of basic election law, and as a result, Mr. Gangemi was properly removed from the ballot,” said Adams’ lawyer Frank Carone. “You can’t allow someone to skirt the rules.”
But Gangemi, who raised a mere $29,257 in his campaign war chest compared to Adams’ whopping $557,152, plans to appeal the court’s decision on Monday.
“For a guy who they think has no shot, they are fighting extremely hard to keep us off the ballot,” said John Gangemi’s spokesman, and son, Frank.
Gangemi’s woes started last month when he incorrectly placed signatures on a Board of Elections’ cover letter instead of inside the filing. The gaff prompted both Adams and board officials to question the legality of Gangemi’s bid for office.
Milhouse
What do you mean it’s a one-man race? He may be unopposed in the primary, but he’ll still have to face opponents at the election itself.
The Real Milhouse
Slow news day for you? Read the original article from NY Daily News and stop your whining.
Primary
Uh, isn’t this only for the Democratic primary?
Whittier
Was it strictly necessary to refer to signatures as “John Hancocks”?
S.L.
Was it necessary to use “strictly” before “necessary”?