Charged candidate Bob LaPietra will remain on the ballot.
That’s according to an opinion Schoharie County Election Commissioner Cliff Hay got Tuesday morning from State Board of Elections.
“Unless he’s convicted, they said he’s still on the ballot,” Mr. Hay said.
“If he’s convicted before the election in November then they’ll have to deal with it.”
Mr. Hay said the State Board of Elections was a little surprised to hear that Mr. LaPietra, arrested Monday on 13 charges each of perjury second degree and offering a false instrument for filing in connection with his petition for Village of Cobleskill trustee, had even been charged.
“They asked me, ‘Are you sure he’s been arrested?’ “ he said. “They’d never heard of such a thing. With all the Senators and Congressmen who’ve been accused of all sorts of things…They said it was almost impossible.”
County Attorney Mike West agreed he doesn’t believe the arrest would remove Mr. LaPietra from the ballot.
“Short of Mr. LaPietra’s withdrawing, his petitions are in,” he said.
That’s good news to Mr. LaPietra, long a subject of controversy. who said he has no intention of backing out of the race now.
“I’m going to tell people what’s going on,” he said.
“I can’t back out of this now. I’d be humiliated.”
What had initially been a four-way race for two trustee seats lost the first candidate after incumbent and former mayor Bill Gilmore withdrew because of health reasons.
That left incumbent Carol McGuire and political newcomer Linda Holmes.
Ms. McGuire, who unsuccessfully challenged Mr. LaPietra’s petition, alleging among other things, that he doesn’t live at the 784 East Main Street address listed on his ballot, that some of Mr. LaPietra’s tenants were promised a “break” on their rent, should they ever need it, if they signed his nominating petition, and that at least 49 of the signatures on the ballot were invalid for a variety of reasons, including lack of dates, listing the wrong address and not belonging to registered voters.
The County Board of Elections, however, found in Mr. LaPietra’s favor on a technicality, ruling Ms. McGuire never provided him with a copy of her specific allegations, and he remained—and remains—on the ballot.
“If they’re able to do this to me, God help anyone who wants to run in the Village of Cobleskill,” he said.