SACKETS HARBOR, New York (WWNY) – Sackets Harbor Mayor Alex Morgia wants another term in office, but his name was recently taken off the ballot after an error was found on his petitions.
“Unfortunately, there’s a small line at the very bottom of the witness statement where you have to put the number, and my witnesses didn’t see it, and I didn’t see the forms before they turned them in,” he said.
Morgia claims it’s an attempt by his opponent to hamstring his re-election campaign.
“I got a notification they were pulled and objected to by Shannon Burke who is on the Jefferson County Democrats; she chairs the Democrat caucus in town, and had campaigned with Mark Pacilio in the past. I really didn’t expect them to try and push me off the ballot,” he said.
Pacilio is running against Morgia as a Democrat.
Prior to the petitions being pulled, Morgia says with 44 signatures of the 32 needed, they had been accepted by the Jefferson County Board of Elections.
He filed a lawsuit against the Board of Elections and Burke to get his name back on the ballot.
The suit claims the objections were filed incorrectly.
There are two steps to filing objections. Morgia says the initial objection was filed against his mother, not him. His mother had circulated petitions.
The second step, specifications of objections, was filed against Morgia.
“Since they did not file the objections correctly, they should be invalidated and I should be put back on the ballot,” he said.
Board of Elections officials say they cannot comment on pending litigation, but according to board meeting minutes, both commissioners voted to invalidate the signatures.
Morgia’s opponent, Mark Pacilio, says he has no comment because he is not involved and is focused on his run for mayor.
Burke declined to comment.
Morgia says if the lawsuit is unsuccessful and he is unable to get his name back on the ballot, he’ll run as a write-in candidate.
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