Court Denies Kat Brezler Democratic Primary Challenge of Dem-nominated Common Council Slate,keeping her off Democratic Ballot. Judge Declares “Insufficient Signatures” After Board of Elections Approves a Sufficient Amount of Signatures. Then Democrats Sued. | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR---65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

Kat Brezler of White Plains has been denied a place on the Democratic Primary Ballot for Common Council by a New York Supreme Court decison May 7. She has appealed the decision to the 2nd Circuit Appellate Court in Brooklyn. Her hearing will be heard May 22.

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2019. By John F. Bailey. May 16, 2019:

Kat Brezler, the White Plains Democrat who filed 1, 175 signatures on petitions to secure a place on the June 25, 2019 Democratic Primary Ballot to challenge Democratic Party official nominees Nadine Hunt-Robinson, Jennifer Puja and Victoria Presser has had her petition denied by a decision handed down by Supreme Court Judge Sam Walker May 7.

The denial was determined by presiding Judge Walker after a suit was filed challenging the Board of Elections approval of 780 of Brezler’s signatures (she needed 696 to make the ballot).

After the Board had approved the signatures, a suit was filed by Victoria Presser (one of the Party nominated candidates), Diane Travers and Stephen Walfish. Judge Walker examined the 780 signatures and found, according to the Board of Elections, Brezler “did not have sufficient signatures.”

Brezler’s office released this statement to WPCNR:

“The decision comes after the judge ruled to invalidate signatures based on them not matching voter registration cards, some of which were from the 1970’s. Signatures ruled invalid included those from women who had remarried, a voter afflicted with Parkinson’s, and newly registered voters.

“How many disenfranchised voters is too many? My answer is one is too many! Knocking good signatures off a petition is voter suppression. Keeping candidates from ballot access is voter suppression. We need to stop these dirty tricks and let the voters decide who they want to elect,”

Brezler’s campaign collected 1175 signatures of which only 696 were necessary to qualify for the ballot. The Board of Elections validated 780 of them.

“We’re fighting for an appeal because voters should decide if we’re going to expand low-income and affordable housing in White Plains, not a few entrenched local political operatives.

“We know we need to get big money out of politics, it infects every level of our system,” Brezler added.

Candidates Forum set for June 17, if Brezler is on the ballot.

A spokesperson for Ms. Brezler told WPCNR there is a League of Women Voters Forum scheduled for June 17 (no time or location set) that was supposed to feature the three Democrat nominees, Presser, Puja and Hunt-Robinson, and Brezler.

If Ms. Brezler is not on the ballot, there would be no primary and no forum. The League of Women Voters according to Andrew Custodio had not asked Republican Candidates, Custodio, Ann-Marie Encarnacao and Brian Peroni to participate.

The spokesperson for Brezler said, “By the end of this month we will have a definitive answer as to if we are participating in the Democratic primary (and therefore the forum, if it is only intended for Dem primary candidates.) Without Kat, there will be no primary. The party has endorsed 3 women for 3 seats so if that is the case I wonder if LWV will postpone this event until closer to the general election.”

Brezler will be back

The spokesperson announced that “According to their website, Working Families Party has only endorsed Kat, but I do know the White Plains Dems submitted WFP petitions for Jen and one other candidate, so they may very well be on the WFP line in November as well. Our WFP nomination has not been challenged, which is why we will appear on that line regardless in November.