Juan Pagan

Tis the season for ballot challenges, and so, we bring you another. Harvey Clarke, a Long Island University professor, is running against incumbent Alan Maisel in Brooklyn's 59th Assembly district and was recently removed from the primary ballot on a petition challenge. Maisel, formerly the chief of staff to his predecessor Frank Seddio, was elected in a special election this year.

Clarke contends via press release that "310 legitimate signatures were disqualified because of technical tricks which were used in the Brooklyn courts, but were overturned in the Manhattan courts." He compares the challenge to that of Juan Pagan, a candidate in a similar race in Manhattan's 74th district, who was succesful in overturning his removal from the ballot. The incumbent in that race, Sylvia Friedman, was also elected in a special election this year.

Clarke believes the Brooklyn court should have ruled in the same manner as the Manhattan court and reinstated him to the ballot. (TKTK info about why petitions were thrown out)

In Pagan's case, the judge found that "These signatures were invalidated due to a common alleged defect." That defect being the petitioner failed to mark the county he resides in, in addition to the town.

—Nicole Brydson