WEST NEW YORK — The move to recall Mayor Felix Roque failed last week as a court appeal ruled that the group collecting petitions signatures had not met the legal requirements.
The movement led by West New York Commissioner Count Wiley fell short when submitted in the fall, after the city clerk invalidated more than 40 percent of the more than 6,500 signatures submitted. The clerk said the signatures did not come from registered voters. So the recall effort went to court.
The judge dismissed the case, said Pablo Fonseca, spokesperson for Mayor Roque, although his office is still waiting on the details of the Superior Court’s decision.
While Wiley could still appeal the matter, the rejection apparently was significant enough for city officials to believe the case would not be heard.
Wiley and his allies brought petitions to Town Hall on Sept. 18, asking to recall Roque, Fior D’Aliza Frias, Caridad Rodriguez, and Ruben Vargas. Wiley and the four others make up the town’s five-member board of commissioners. (In the mayor/commissioner form of government, Roque is a mayor and commissioner at once.)
Wiley called for a recall in August, 2012, after Roque and the commissioners voted to remove him as commissioner of public safety and other issues. Additional information and comments on the situation will be released shortly.
WNY Recall appeal rejected by court
