15/02/2022
Candidates File Independent Petitions In Ballston Spa
All four candidates in the Ballston Spa Village election scheduled for Tuesday March 15th have filed Independent Petitions. The move adds a independent ballot line with their name on it for voters to use in addition to their already confirmed major party line. Republican developer Frank Rossi II and Bernadette VanDeinse-Perez filed 180 signatures with the Village Clerk for the independent party “Voice of Ballston Spa”. Current Democratic Village Mayor Christine Fitzpatrick and running mate Kamran Parwana collected 203 signatures for their proposed line “A Brighter Future”.
Although the Rossi/VanDeinse-Perez petitions were not compliant with election law they are not being challenged. The forms used were clearly marked 6-140 referring to required petitions for Town elections. Village petitions fall under the code 15-108. The two forms are somewhat similar but there are distinct differences between them. The most glaring deficiency though was not the form used but the absence of the term of office length which is required in both filings. It is not known if the oversight by Rossi, who is licensed to practice law in New York State, was accidental or intentional. Either way, legal staff at the Board of Elections confirmed the oversight was substantial enough to warrant and conceivably receive a disqualification.
In a Facebook post, the Fitzpatrick/Parwana campaign stated that in spite of the failure to conform to the law, they believed their opponents 180 petition signers should not be punished for the Rossi/VanDenise-Perez failure to follow proper procedure. The move is in stark contrast to Frank Rossi II past involvement in Village politics. In the 2021 Village election, Rossi challenged the cover sheet of two candidates his family reportedly did not support asking that they be immediately tossed off the ballot Election law provides no such penalty for invalid petition cover sheets, instead advising the village clerk to return the sheets for candidates to amend. Rossi argued election law should be ignored in order to achieve his wishes.
This is a Special Election for Ballston Spa which will decide a Mayor replacement for Fitzpatrick who assumed the role after the abrupt resignation of Larry Woolbright. Fitzpatrick was Deputy Mayor at the time as well as a Board Trustee. By resigning as Trustee in order to take over as Mayor, Fitzpatrick triggered the need to fill both posts at the next sanctioned election date which for Ballston Spa is in March. The winners will ascend to the respective offices for the one year remainder of the previous board members terms.
