Mollen, Shaffer and Four Other Broome Democrats Thrown Off Ballot Line by Supreme Court Ruling

(Binghamton, NY) Six Democrat candidates for elective office in Broome County were thrown off the so-called “Women’s Equality Party” ballot line in New York State Supreme Court yesterday. This follows Democrat State Senate candidate Barbara Fiala also being thrown off the WEP line in a separate Supreme Court ruling yesterday in Albany.

In addition to Fiala, the Democrat candidates for local office who were thrown off the WEP ballot line include:

* Broome County District Attorney Gerald Mollen (running against Republican Steve Cornwell);
* Candidate for Broome County Judge Christian Root (running against Republican Kevin Dooley);
* Vestal Town Supervisor John Shaffer (running against Republican Bill Kelley);
* Candidate for Vestal Town Board Darlene Bucinell (running against Republicans Fran Majewski and Greg Roberts);
* Candidate for Binghamton City Council Conrad Taylor (running against Republican John Cordisco); and
* Candidate for Binghamton City Council Shari Weiss (running against Republican John Matzo).

Broome Republican Chairman Bijoy Datta said, “These Democrat candidates apparently thought that they get to play by a different set of rules than the rest of us. But the Supreme Court saw otherwise; they can’t game the system and run on Andrew Cuomo’s bogus so-called ‘Women’s Equality’ line.”

Vestal Republican Chairwoman Julie Lewis said, “Andrew Cuomo and his political operatives in Albany and New York City tried to sway women voters by creating this line last year, and then illegally nominated Broome County candidates to run on it this year. We voters are smarter than they give us credit for, and we saw through it even before the Supreme Court struck them down.”

The ruling was made yesterday in the Sixth Judicial District Supreme Court in Binghamton.

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