JERSEY CITY – Charges of voter fraud will be addressed tomorrow from 8 – 10 a.m. at the county Board of Elections because Superior Court Judge Maurice Gallipoli refused to sequester vote-by-mail ballots at the request of the campaign of Councilman Michael Lenz.
Gallipoli said there was “no proof of criminality at this particular moment” by candidate Tim Occhipinti’s campaign and he was “not satisfied to enter an order to show cause.”
Attorneys for the campaigns of Lenz and Occhipinti were in court on Friday afternoon and argued their case. Gallipoli said if there is a challenge, it should be addressed on Saturday morning at a Board of Elections hearing.
Michael Goldberg, an attorney for Occhipinti’s campaign, said he was happy with the judge’s decision and said the “claim is baseless.”
“The Occhipinti campaign wants a fair election,” Goldberg said. “We’re prepared to meet any challenge.”
Goldberg also called the lawsuit a “publicity stunt” by the Lenz campaign.
Timothy Howes, who represented the Lenz campaign, said he can’t predict how many other challenges there will be in the future to this election.
“They have to be done individually,” Howes said.
Read more about the 4th Ward election controversies in this weekend’s Hoboken Reporter. – Ray Smith