Supreme Court Justice Thomas Brogan ordered the Patterson clerk to print and send ballots for the May 10 municipal election pending the outcome of the mayoral nomination of Alex Mendes.
A supporter of Mayor Andre Saega says that a sufficient number of signatures on Mendes’ petition – as many as 150 signatures – will result in 867 signatures on the ballot less than 867 signatures.
Brogan has scheduled a hearing for April 1st.
“By the way,” he said of the date.
City clerk Sonia Gordon turned down a call from Vincent Yanacone. This prompted his lawyers Raja Parih and Harrison Kluel of Genova Burns to appeal to the Supreme Court.
“Ballots should not be sent before the resolution is adopted,” Brogan said at a brief hearing on Wednesday.
Former mayor Joey Torres sought to run, but a previous conviction led to his disqualification.
Mendes faces allegations of voter fraud during his 2020 election to the city council. His trial is unlikely to begin before the May non-partisan elections.
Allegations of filling mailboxes with fake ballots led to the invalidation of the May 2020 election, but Menendez again ran in the September election and won.
