New Development in the Fifth Ward

On Thursday, there isn't exactly a primary for Republican voters in the Fifth Ward. Instead there is what is called an OTB--opportunity to ballot--for Republicans. The Hudson Republican Committee endorsed two candidates for alderman who are not registered Republicans: Bob Donahue, who is a Democrat, and Priscilla Moore, an NOP (no official party). When a party endorses candidates who are not members of that party, Wilson-Pakula forms must be filed with the NYS Board of Elections in order for those candidates to run in the general election. The chair of the Republican Committee failed to do this, and as a consequence, OTB petitions had to be filed for Donahue and Moore.

The plan was that Republicans in the Fifth Ward would go to the polls on Thursday, write in the names of Donahue and Moore, they would get on the ballot in November on the Republican line, and that would be that. The problem is that an opportunity to ballot allows voters to write in the name of anyone they would like to see as their candidate.

Enter Bart Delaney, an incumbent Fifth Ward alderman. Delaney used to be a Republican but recently switched his registration to "no official party." A few months ago, it seemed Delaney, who has served just one term on the Common Council, had decided he would not seek re-election. Now, the Register-Star reports that he was "spurned by the Republican Committee," suggesting that he sought their endorsement and was rejected, and is asking his constituents in the Fifth Ward to write in his name on Thursday so that he can be on the ballot in the November as a Republican.

Read all about this new three-way race and hear from the three candidates themselves in today's Register-Star: "Write-ins will decide GOP candidates in 5th Ward race."

The two people whose names are written in most often by Republican voters on Thursday will face in November the two candidates for Fifth Ward aldermen who have been endorsed by the Democratic Committee: Justin Goldman and Ken Hollenbeck.
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