Belmont, Jaffe ask state's top court to hear Harrison Town supervisor case

Attorneys for both candidates filed motions for leave to appeal, which is essentially a request to the Court of Appeals for permission to take on the case.

Jonathan Gordon

Mar 15, 2024, 8:20 PM

Updated 285 days ago

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The two losing candidates in last November's Harrison Town supervisor race are asking the state's top court to hear their appeals.
Attorneys for both candidates filed motions for leave to appeal, which is essentially a request to the Court of Appeals for permission to take on the case.
A state Supreme Court judge ruled last December that write-in candidate Ron Belmont won the race but was disqualified because he already served the maximum number of years under the town's term limit law. That judge then named the next highest voter-getter, incumbent Rich Dionisio the winner.
Both Belmont and Democratic candidate, third-place finisher Mark Jaffe filed appeals to that ruling to an intermediate court, the state Appellate Division.
That panel of judges unanimously certified Dionisio as the winner last month.
The appellate court found the term limits laws were already effective before the certification of the vote count, making Belmont ineligible to be elected.
A spokesperson for the Court of Appeals said there is no timeline for when the court is required to rule on the motion.