Photo Courtesy of Ariola Campaign
“The Board of Elections held a fair and open hearing to determine the validity of the petitions submitted. Their findings were not frivolous. They were based on the law governing the petition process,” Council candidate Joann Ariola said this week.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Following a monumental mistake by more than two-dozen potential GOP candidates, Queens County Republican Party Chairwoman Joann Ariola now stands alone on the Grand Old Party ballot, set to take on the Democrats in the general election in November in her quest to represent the interests of the residents and businesses of the 32nd Council District.
Steve Sirgiovanni, Margaret Wagner, and Phil McManus were vying to get on the GOP ballot to participate in the Republican primaries in June. However, The Forum has learned that some 29 GOP hopefuls have been ruled off the ballot by the Law Department of the City Board of Elections. The BOE Office of General Counsel noted in the decision that “an unexplained series of numbers” on the petitions “could confuse the signers, voters or Board of Elections”—a so-called fatal defect.
Indeed, all 10 BOE commissioners unanimously voted to remove Sirgiovanni, Wagner, McManus and more than two-dozen others from the GOP ballots.
Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Ariola is set to face the Democratic candidate in the general election in November.
As a result of this digit debacle, Ariola, long-time president of the Howard Beach-Lindenwood Civic, will not have to face a primary in June.
This did not sit well with some Queens Republicans. Retired NYPD Capt. Joe Concannon, of the offshoot Queens County Republican Patriots, blasted borough and State GOP officials, accusing the party of voter-suppression activities at the Board of Elections.
“130,000 registered Republican voters in Queens are being disenfranchised by an organized voter suppression program led by the Deputy Chief Clerk of the Queens Board of Elections and the political director of the New York State Republican Party,” Concannon said.
Ariola unleashed a scathing rebuke.
“Once again, a band of insurgent activists, none of which are members of the Republican State Committee nor hold any title within the Republican Party, led an ill-fated attempt to place candidates on the ballot for the sole purpose of feeding Joe Concannon’s ego trip to become the County Chair,” Ariola said. “Their accusations of voter suppression are baseless. The Board of Elections held a fair and open hearing to determine the validity of the petitions submitted. Their findings were not frivolous. They were based on the law governing the petition process. The public will not be further misled by Joe Concannon and his fake organization’s claims which are based in lies, deceit and tremendous fraud.”
At press time, this matter was before a Queens Supreme Court judge who will rule on the Board’s findings.
