Preserve Ramapo’s Republican and Independence Party Petitions Thrown Out For Fraudulent Signatures
Originally Published in The Monsey Advocate by Daniel Friedman
Two weeks may not sound like a long time, but in the world of politics, it can be all the difference in the world. That was the lesson learned this week by Preserve Ramapo leaders, who only two weeks ago, wrote a political diatribe signed by Robert Rhodes, the Chairman of Preserve Ramapo, pledging to bring three primary challenges to Ramapo Supervisor Christopher P. St. Lawrence.
Supervisor St. Lawrence received the endorsements of the Republican and Independence Parties, among others. In response, Preserve Ramapo drafted petitions to challenge St. Lawrence on those lines by collecting signatures from Republicans and Independents to support separate primaries against him on those lines. In a memo to supporters, Rhodes wrote that Robert Romanowski would be challenging Supervisor St. Lawrence in the Republican primary, along with Mark Lerer, who was running for Town Justice, and was described in the memo as “a young man who is also a very religious Jew.”
After the announcement, Lerer said that he had no knowledge of the Preserve Ramapo endorsement before the message went out. “I did not ask for their support and I was surprised they said I did,” Lerer said in an interview with The Advocate. “I’m running as a Republican, not as a Preserve Ramapo member or supporter,” he said.
Preserve Ramapo also submitted Independence Party petitions, endorsing their third candidate for Town Supervisor. Only days after Robert Rhodes signed the letter promising that “St. Lawrence will face a primary thanks to the courage of real Independence party members who are not happy that their party has supported St. Lawrence,” those petitions were immediately challenged, and the Board of Elections dismissed them because of numerous improprieties. A private challenge to the Republican petitions did not immediately result in their getting dismissed, and last week, a court challenge against the petitions was filed.
Aaron Troodler, the lawyer representing the person who filed the objections, explained that after reviewing the petitions, it became clear that they were not valid. “The law sets forth the guidelines, and the failure to adhere to those guidelines can be a fatal flaw when it comes to the petition process,” said Troodler.
On Tuesday, exactly two weeks after that Preserve Ramapo message promising three primary elections was sent out, Judge Margaret Garvey gaveled the court into session to discuss the details of the objections. She then went into a back room with the original Republican Party petitions submitted by Preserve Ramapo, and was accompanied by Aaron Troodler, Robert Romanowski, who was on the petitions, and a county attorney who represented the Board of Elections. After commencing the review process, she took a break to review several legal matters pertaining to the objection.
At 3 PM, Judge Garvey reconvened with all those who were present before, with one exception. Romanowski, who had previously represented himself, sent his attorney in to represent him. The attorney representing him was James L. Hyer, who was the Preserve Ramapo candidate for Town Council in 2007, and was also the Preserve Ramapo attorney who served legal papers to several religious Jews last Yom Kippur.
After reviewing the petitions, Judge Garvey invalidated a total of 176 signatures. Preserve Ramapo had submitted 784, and needed 644 valid signatures to appear on the ballot. With 176 declared invalid, the judge immediately gaveled the court back into session, and ruled that the petitions were void.
Hyer appeared visibly upset and shaken by the decision, and Troodler explained that this was simply a matter of clear-cut law. “There is a legal process in place which applies to all prospective candidates, irrespective of political party affiliation. This is not about politics; it's about compliance with the law.”
Judge Garvey’s dismissal of the Republican Party petitions prevented yet another primary challenge to Supervisor St. Lawrence, and dealt another blow to Preserve Ramapo. Two weeks earlier, Robert Rhodes confidently declared that “petitions were collected in sufficient number” to appear on both the Republican and Independence Party lines in the September 15th primary. When that day comes, there will be no primary for the nominations of those parties, and on Election Day in November, there will be only one person whose name will appear as the Republican and Independence Party candidate for Ramapo Town Supervisor: Christopher P. St. Lawrence.
Two weeks may not sound like a long time, but in the world of politics, it can be all the difference in the world. That was the lesson learned this week by Preserve Ramapo leaders, who only two weeks ago, wrote a political diatribe signed by Robert Rhodes, the Chairman of Preserve Ramapo, pledging to bring three primary challenges to Ramapo Supervisor Christopher P. St. Lawrence.
Supervisor St. Lawrence received the endorsements of the Republican and Independence Parties, among others. In response, Preserve Ramapo drafted petitions to challenge St. Lawrence on those lines by collecting signatures from Republicans and Independents to support separate primaries against him on those lines. In a memo to supporters, Rhodes wrote that Robert Romanowski would be challenging Supervisor St. Lawrence in the Republican primary, along with Mark Lerer, who was running for Town Justice, and was described in the memo as “a young man who is also a very religious Jew.”
After the announcement, Lerer said that he had no knowledge of the Preserve Ramapo endorsement before the message went out. “I did not ask for their support and I was surprised they said I did,” Lerer said in an interview with The Advocate. “I’m running as a Republican, not as a Preserve Ramapo member or supporter,” he said.
Preserve Ramapo also submitted Independence Party petitions, endorsing their third candidate for Town Supervisor. Only days after Robert Rhodes signed the letter promising that “St. Lawrence will face a primary thanks to the courage of real Independence party members who are not happy that their party has supported St. Lawrence,” those petitions were immediately challenged, and the Board of Elections dismissed them because of numerous improprieties. A private challenge to the Republican petitions did not immediately result in their getting dismissed, and last week, a court challenge against the petitions was filed.
Aaron Troodler, the lawyer representing the person who filed the objections, explained that after reviewing the petitions, it became clear that they were not valid. “The law sets forth the guidelines, and the failure to adhere to those guidelines can be a fatal flaw when it comes to the petition process,” said Troodler.
On Tuesday, exactly two weeks after that Preserve Ramapo message promising three primary elections was sent out, Judge Margaret Garvey gaveled the court into session to discuss the details of the objections. She then went into a back room with the original Republican Party petitions submitted by Preserve Ramapo, and was accompanied by Aaron Troodler, Robert Romanowski, who was on the petitions, and a county attorney who represented the Board of Elections. After commencing the review process, she took a break to review several legal matters pertaining to the objection.
At 3 PM, Judge Garvey reconvened with all those who were present before, with one exception. Romanowski, who had previously represented himself, sent his attorney in to represent him. The attorney representing him was James L. Hyer, who was the Preserve Ramapo candidate for Town Council in 2007, and was also the Preserve Ramapo attorney who served legal papers to several religious Jews last Yom Kippur.
After reviewing the petitions, Judge Garvey invalidated a total of 176 signatures. Preserve Ramapo had submitted 784, and needed 644 valid signatures to appear on the ballot. With 176 declared invalid, the judge immediately gaveled the court back into session, and ruled that the petitions were void.
Hyer appeared visibly upset and shaken by the decision, and Troodler explained that this was simply a matter of clear-cut law. “There is a legal process in place which applies to all prospective candidates, irrespective of political party affiliation. This is not about politics; it's about compliance with the law.”
Judge Garvey’s dismissal of the Republican Party petitions prevented yet another primary challenge to Supervisor St. Lawrence, and dealt another blow to Preserve Ramapo. Two weeks earlier, Robert Rhodes confidently declared that “petitions were collected in sufficient number” to appear on both the Republican and Independence Party lines in the September 15th primary. When that day comes, there will be no primary for the nominations of those parties, and on Election Day in November, there will be only one person whose name will appear as the Republican and Independence Party candidate for Ramapo Town Supervisor: Christopher P. St. Lawrence.
Posted by Reserve Ramapo Staff Writer at Wednesday, August 12, 2009 8:33:00 PM 
Categories: Fraud, Republican Party, Independence Party, Preserve Ramapo
Tags: Fraud Christopher P. St. Lawrence Town of Ramapo Republican Party Robert Romanowski Independence Party Preserve Ramapo
Categories: Fraud, Republican Party, Independence Party, Preserve Ramapo
Tags: Fraud Christopher P. St. Lawrence Town of Ramapo Republican Party Robert Romanowski Independence Party Preserve Ramapo
You forgot two things....1) Mark Lerer is not an observant jew (son of Juda Lerer one of the founders of PR) and secondly Bruce Leveine will oenly admit that he does not keep shabbos and that he only wears a kippah for political reasons
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Mark Lerer IS observant. Besides, the issue here is St. Lawrence, not Mark.
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