GOSHEN – Newburgh mayoral candidate Gay Lee, whose nominating petitions to run in the Democratic primary election next month were tossed out by the Orange County Board of Elections, will now appear on the ballot in a party challenge against incumbent Mayor Torrance Harvey.
The board of elections had disqualified Lee’s petitions when 69 signatures of people were ruled invalid because while they are registered Democrats and live in the City of Newburgh, the addresses they listed on the petitions were different than the ones they had initially provided to the board.
Lee challenged the decision and last Wednesday Acting State Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bartlett annulled the board of elections’ ruling and allowed Lee to run in the primary. Bartlett ruled that those who signed the petitions attested that they are Democrats and, in fact, do live in the City of Newburgh.
“I think what happened (Wednesday) in court, and by that I mean Judge Bartlett’s decision to not disenfranchise voters is key to what Newburgh needs,” Lee said.
Harvey was appointed mayor in April after then-Mayor Judy Kennedy died after a long bout with cancer.
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