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Judge tosses Independence petitions

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

COLUMBIA COUNTY — Members of the Columbia County Independence Party, in the throes of internal strife, were in Supreme Court in Hudson Tuesday for a hearing to determine whether certain candidate committee petitions were valid.

Independence Party candidates across the county have been gathering signatures in hopes of being elected to the county committee in the Sept. 9 party primary.

On Tuesday, John Ciampoli, an Albany attorney representing the five petitioners in the suit who are also running for committee seats, argued the case before Rensselaer County Judge Christian Hummel. Attorney Eugene Keeler represented the six respondents, while County Attorney Daniel Tuczinski represented the county Board of Elections, also named in the suit.

Hummel made his decision Wednesday on whether the six petitions in question are valid or are fraudulent as Ciampoli asserts. Four were thrown out because the notary republics collecting signatures didn’t administer an oath to the people signing the petitions, which is required by law.

“The notary did not identify himself as a notary and did not administer an oath,” said Ciampoli in court Tuesday. Hummel agreed, throwing out petitions for Audrey Simpkins, Grerory Abruzzese, Michele Houser and Deborah Johnson.

The other two petitions, one with an address written in the wrong place and another that Ciampoli said had a date changed, required the judge’s scrutiny.

“That’s why we dress them in black and put them on the bench,” said Ciampoli of Hummel’s job.

Hummel validated the petitions for Leonard Hughes and Leif Erickson.

According to New York state election law Hummel had to make his decision by 5 p.m. Wednesday. In court Hummel called the state’s election law “complicated and convoluted.”

In a separate matter the county board of elections threw out a number of petitions for the Independence Party county, state and judicial district committees. A total of 10 at the county level were tossed, four at the state level and four at the judicial district level.

The larger issue facing the county Independence Party appears to be a power struggle between two different camps — and according to some, two separate political parties — vying for control.

“The Republican hierarchy has spent thousands of dollars and dozens of man-hours taking over the Independence Party County Committee,” said Keeler after the hearing Tuesday. Keeler believes the Republican Party is paying Ciampoli’s legal fees in the case, but according to Ciampoli he isn’t receiving any.

“I’m working completely pro bono,” he said.

Keeler also asserted that Ciampoli is a “Republican lawyer.”

Ciampoli is a noted election law expert who has represented former state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, among many Republican clients, but has a long-standing relationship with the Independence Party, both at the state and county level, Ciampoli said.

Keeler believes John Miller, chairman for the county Independence Party, is also in the Republican camp. “I guess Mr. Miller will owe his chairmanship to his puppet masters,” Keeler said Tuesday.

Miller, in response, said the county Independence Party has backed several Democrats for elected positions in the past, including Rick Scalera for Hudson mayor and Jesse DeGroodt for Chatham supervisor.

“The list goes on,” said Miller, “We’re not supporters of just one party.”

Miller believes that Keeler is just disgruntled for being passed over as Independence Party candidate for Columbia County District Attorney last year.

“We just felt Beth [Cozzolino] was the better choice,” he said.

That’s garbage,” said Keeler, “Don’t let Mr. Miller misdirect what’s going on here...Give me a break.”

Keeler pointed out that several high-profile county Republicans, including John Faso — the Republican candidate for governor in 2006, had gathered signatures for many of the Independence Party candidates for county committee.

Faso said he was not a member of the Independence Party, but was a notary public, as many attorneys are. “In order to gather signatures you have to be either a party member, notary public or commissioner of deeds,” he said.

The fight for control of the party may not be new. Keeler, responding to rumors that the Democratic Party had tried to take over the Independence party two years ago, said that there wasn’t “a shred of evidence” to those allegations.

The Independence Party is the third-largest party in the state according to its unofficial Web site. It was founded in 1991 by Dr. Gordon Black, Tom Golisano and Laureen Oliver from Rochester and acquired ballot status in 1994.

Frank MacKay is the chairman of the New York state as well as national Independence Party, and according to Ciampoli, supports Miller as head of the county party.

“Frank MacKay fully backs John Miller as chairman,” said Ciampoli.

To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx please call 518-828-1616 or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com.

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