The Green Party handed out the statement below at the judicial candidates forum at the Southwest Community Center tonight urging voters not to vote for three judicial candidates who filed Green Party designating petitions: Democrat Frank B. Pelosi for City Court Judge, Republican Loretta R. Kilpatrick for Surrogate's Court Judge, and Republican Michele Pirro Bailey for Family Court Judge.
The Green Party believes that judicial candidates who have filed Green Party designating petitions after being asked not to are showing poor judgment for people who want to be judges, the statement said.
"The Green Party was created for Green candidates, not the candidates of other parties,” said Howie Hawkins, Chair of the Green Party of Onondaga County and the Green candidate for mayor of Syracuse.
The statement thanks City Court Judge candidates Vanessa Bogan and James Cecile for refraining from petitioning for the Green Party ballot line. Hawkins noted that since the statement was drafted, Mary Keib Smith for Surrogate's Court Judge and Beth Lockhart for Family Court Judge have also pledged to respect the Green Party’s political independence and not seek the Green Party ballot line.
The deadline for designating petitions was July 13. But the deadline for Opportunity To Ballot petitions, which could create a write-in primary for the Green line, is July 20.
Statement:
DON’T VOTE FOR THESE JUDICIAL CANDIDATES
These candidates for judge have shown poor judgment.
- Frank B. Pelosi, Democrat for City Court Judge
- Loretta R. Kilpatrick, Republican for Surrogate's Court Judge
- Michele Pirro Bailey, Republican for Family Court Judge
These candidates for judge have shown poor judgment. They have disrespected the Green Party’s political independence and party rules.
These Democratic and Republican candidates were asked by the Green Party to not petition for the Green ballot line. But they did anyway. The Green Party doesn’t want Democrats and Republicans on the ballot as “Green” candidates.
Under the state Election Law – unlike candidates for legislative and executive public offices – judicial candidates are not required to get authorization from a party they are not enrolled in to run on its ballot line. But legal is not necessarily ethical.
There are 8 party lines on New York ballots for 2015-2018, but only three political alternatives – Democratic, Republican, and Green.
7 of the party ballot lines were created by the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial tickets in 2014 by receiving at least 50,000 votes on those ballot lines. The Democratic ticket also created the Independence, Working Families, and Women’s Equality ballot lines. The Republican ticket also created Conservative and Reform ballot lines.
The Green Party ballot line was created by the 2014 Gubernatorial Green ticket for Green candidates, not for candidates from other parties. We created the Green Party as an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans, not as just another ballot line like the little satellite parties, which routinely endorse the major parties’ candidates.
We also want to note that two City Court Judge candidates, Democrats Vanessa E. Bogan and James H. Cecile, respected the Green Party’s political independence. Judge Bogan asked the Green Party before petitioning and respected our request not to. Judge Cecile knew about our policy of political independence and respected it without having to ask.
We thank these judges for demonstrating good judgement.
We ask voters to take these considerations into account when they vote.
Green Party of Onondaga County
315-475-7055, P.O. Box 562, Syracuse NY 13205
Addendum: Since the media release above was sent out, the following judicial candidates have also told the Green Party they decided not to seek the Green ballot line in respect for its political independence:
Derek Thomas, Democrat for City Court Judge
Laurin Haddad, Democrat for Surrogate's Court Judge
