Observers keeping a watch on the Columbia County Courthouse report that the Republican effort to prevent a Democratic primary—in which it is expected that Nicholas C. Haddad will be written in as the party’s choice of nominee for Mayor—has failed in court.
According to sources, Judge Hummel agreed with attorneys Ken Dow, Ed Reisner and John Friedman that the GOP failed to serve notice on the affected parties in a timely manner, missing a key election law deadline which was inviolate. The merits of the petitions themselves could not be questioned, because the Republicans did not follow the correct process.
So ironically, the GOP attempt to trip up the Democrats with technicalities itself failed on a technicality. (One wonders whether the Hudson and County Republicans will be demanding a refund from their lawyers, including Bill Better, and process servers.)
This means that there will indeed be an open write-in primary among Democrats on September 13th, in which any name can be written in.
