August 17, 2010
BY SHAWN BOBURG
The Record
STAFF WRITER
RIDGEFIELD — Voters on Tuesday declined by a narrow margin to remove Mayor Anthony Suarez from office as he faces federal prosecution on corruption charges.
Ridgefield residents voted in the special election to keep Suarez as their mayor by 1,023 votes to 985, according to unofficial results.
“People who know me in this town know I’d never do anything wrong, and that’s why I was not recalled tonight,” an emotional Suarez said Tuesday evening while surrounded by about three dozen friends and relatives celebrating at a Ridgefield restaurant. “It wasn’t right to try to undo a duly elected official.”
Suarez, a Democrat, called on the Republican group that spearheaded the recall effort to reimburse the town for the cost of the balloting, estimated at $16,000.
A defiant Suarez had resisted calls to resign since his arrest more than a year ago for allegedly agreeing to accept $10,000 in bribes from an FBI informant posing as a developer. He stands indicted on charges of conspiring to extort a cooperating witness, but has maintained he is innocent and says he should be given a chance to prove it at his trial, scheduled to begin in early October.
“People here showed they believe in me,” Suarez said, standing next to his wife.
His critics said they were disappointed in the result and blamed it partly on the timing of the election.
“Ridgefield has failed its collective intelligence test,” said Robert Avery, a Republican who spearheaded the recall effort. “Beyond that, it’s the summer, when so many of our residents are on vacation and not able to vote. This is not representative of our entire electorate.”
Of Ridgefield’s 5,668 registered voters, 2,008, or 35 percent, turned out for the recall election.
Avery said Suarez should reimburse the town for the cost of the election because “none of this would have happened if he wasn’t charged with corruption.”
At certain points in the early evening, campaigners outnumbered voters at the polls, as both sides mounted a furious effort to get last-minute votes. Residents showing up at the polls heard contrasting arguments that Suarez was innocent until proved guilty or that he was casting a long shadow over the town.
Vicky Vanacore was swayed by the latter.
“The guy was indicted,” said Vanacore, a Republican who has lived in the borough four years. “I trust our criminal justice system enough that I believe it’s our duty as citizens to come out here and do something about it.”
On the other side were voters like Othmar Metzler, an independent and 32-year borough resident.
“I think this whole election is a waste of time and money,” he said. “If he’s guilty, he’ll get voted out anyway.”
Suarez is up for reelection next year.
Voters also were asked which of three candidates should replace Suarez if he was recalled. The candidates — councilmen Warren Vincentz and Javier Acosta and former zoning board member Al Gil — -toured polling sites during the day. Of the three, Vincentz, a Republican, tallied the most votes in the moot election with 939 votes, compared with 705 for Acosta and 95 for Gil.
Both sides in the recall election said throughout the day that they expected the race to be close. But the razor-thin victory was a pleasant surprise to Stephen Pellino, a Suarez ally.
“Removing him from office before he has a chance to defend himself just wouldn’t be the American Way,” he said.
Showing posts with label Z) Ridgefield Bor. Recall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Z) Ridgefield Bor. Recall. Show all posts
20100615
Judge: Petition seeking to recall Ridgefield Mayor Suarez valid; paves way for special election
Monday, June 14, 2010
LAST UPDATED: MONDAY JUNE 14, 2010, 5:52 PM
BY MATTHEW VAN DUSEN
THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER
RIDGEFIELD – An election to recall Mayor Anthony Suarez could take place as early as Aug. 17 following a state Superior Court ruling that borough Republicans gathered enough signatures to force an election.
Judge Robert Wilson wrote that Borough Clerk Linda Prina improperly disqualified 104 signatures for technical reasons and that the petitioners gathered more than the number required.
“While some of the signatures may have been validly rejected, the petitioner has nonetheless substantially demonstrated that they obtained the 1,451 to compel a recall election,” Wilson wrote in the decision, which was released on Monday.
Borough Democratic head Stephen Pellino said he would appeal the decision on Tuesday and seek a stay stopping the clock on the recall election. He said the Democrats were not able to present their case at the Friday hearing before Wilson.
Suarez wrote in a statement that he was “disappointed” with the decision and thanked his supporters.
Prina said that she must now serve Suarez, a Democrat, with a certificate that says the recall petition has met state requirements, after which he has five business days to resign or face recall.
The recall election could take place on Aug. 17 or Aug. 24, depending on when he is served with the certificate, Prina added.
The Democratic mayor was arrested last July for allegedly agreeing to accept bribes from a FBI informant posing as a developer. Suarez has protested his innocence and refused calls to step down.
Robert Avery, the attorney who argued the case and also the head of the petition committee, said the recall is a way for “the people of Ridgefield to stand up and defend themselves against political corruption.”
Republicans have been talking about recalling Suarez for almost a year.
Avery, the borough’s Republican head, and several councilmen formed a petition committee and gathered approximately 1,850 signatures, which they submitted to Prina in March. Borough Democrats also filed a lengthy objection to the petition.
Prina ultimately approved only 1,412 of the signatures, short of the required 1,451, or 25 percent of the borough’s registered voters.
Prina rejected some signatures because the signers failed to put a date beside their signatures, while discounting others because the petition circulators forgot to put the date or their names on the sheets, according to Wilson’s order.
One signature was invalidated because the voter died after signing the petition, even though his daughter affirmed that he had signed, Wilson wrote.
Wilson wrote of one contested group of signatures that “the missing elements… are technical errors made in good faith pertaining to ministerial functions and as such are insufficient to deprive the citizens of their right to vote.”
Jesse Wolosky, a Sparta resident who advises recall efforts including Ridgefield’s, said the fault for the improperly rejected signatures lay not with Prina but with the convoluted state law.
Democrats have noted that Suarez is scheduled to go on trial in early September and the verdict will render the election moot.
LAST UPDATED: MONDAY JUNE 14, 2010, 5:52 PM
BY MATTHEW VAN DUSEN
THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER
RIDGEFIELD – An election to recall Mayor Anthony Suarez could take place as early as Aug. 17 following a state Superior Court ruling that borough Republicans gathered enough signatures to force an election.
Judge Robert Wilson wrote that Borough Clerk Linda Prina improperly disqualified 104 signatures for technical reasons and that the petitioners gathered more than the number required.
“While some of the signatures may have been validly rejected, the petitioner has nonetheless substantially demonstrated that they obtained the 1,451 to compel a recall election,” Wilson wrote in the decision, which was released on Monday.
Borough Democratic head Stephen Pellino said he would appeal the decision on Tuesday and seek a stay stopping the clock on the recall election. He said the Democrats were not able to present their case at the Friday hearing before Wilson.
Suarez wrote in a statement that he was “disappointed” with the decision and thanked his supporters.
Prina said that she must now serve Suarez, a Democrat, with a certificate that says the recall petition has met state requirements, after which he has five business days to resign or face recall.
The recall election could take place on Aug. 17 or Aug. 24, depending on when he is served with the certificate, Prina added.
The Democratic mayor was arrested last July for allegedly agreeing to accept bribes from a FBI informant posing as a developer. Suarez has protested his innocence and refused calls to step down.
Robert Avery, the attorney who argued the case and also the head of the petition committee, said the recall is a way for “the people of Ridgefield to stand up and defend themselves against political corruption.”
Republicans have been talking about recalling Suarez for almost a year.
Avery, the borough’s Republican head, and several councilmen formed a petition committee and gathered approximately 1,850 signatures, which they submitted to Prina in March. Borough Democrats also filed a lengthy objection to the petition.
Prina ultimately approved only 1,412 of the signatures, short of the required 1,451, or 25 percent of the borough’s registered voters.
Prina rejected some signatures because the signers failed to put a date beside their signatures, while discounting others because the petition circulators forgot to put the date or their names on the sheets, according to Wilson’s order.
One signature was invalidated because the voter died after signing the petition, even though his daughter affirmed that he had signed, Wilson wrote.
Wilson wrote of one contested group of signatures that “the missing elements… are technical errors made in good faith pertaining to ministerial functions and as such are insufficient to deprive the citizens of their right to vote.”
Jesse Wolosky, a Sparta resident who advises recall efforts including Ridgefield’s, said the fault for the improperly rejected signatures lay not with Prina but with the convoluted state law.
Democrats have noted that Suarez is scheduled to go on trial in early September and the verdict will render the election moot.
20100428
Ridgefield GOP Renews Attempt To Oust Mayor
NY1 VIDEO: Ridgefield Republicans are taking another stab at getting Mayor Anthony Suarez out of office, after their original recall petition was rejected by the borough clerk two weeks ago.
http://www.ny1.com/1-all-boroughs-news-content/your_nj_news_now/117692/ridgefield-gop-renews-attempt-to-oust-mayor
http://www.ny1.com/1-all-boroughs-news-content/your_nj_news_now/117692/ridgefield-gop-renews-attempt-to-oust-mayor
20100401
Ridgefield GOP files for recall Targets Democratic mayor facing corruption charges
Monday, March 29, 2010
By MATTHEW VAN DUSEN The Record STAFF WRITER
RIDGEFIELD — A special election to recall Mayor Anthony Suarez could take place as early as June after local Republicans filed a petition with the borough clerk on Monday.
But Suarez, a Democrat, said that some residents have complained they were duped by the petitioners and he awaits “the opportunity to examine the signatures and the circumstances under which people were [led] into signing the petition.”
The filing, by Ridgefield Republican Organization Chairman Robert Avery, comes after a 160-day drive to get signatures from 25 percent, or approximately 1,450, of the borough’s registered voters. The petitioners, including several Republican councilmen, gathered about 1,850 signatures.
Avery said he is confident the recall of the Democratic mayor, who is facing federal corruption charges and has refused to resign, will be successful if it goes on the ballot. “I believe they’ll vote in overwhelming numbers to remove Suarez from office,” he said.
Several events have to happen before the recall election goes ahead, according to state law.
The borough clerk has 10 business days from Monday to verify the signatures on the petition. Then, Suarez has 10 business days to challenge the determination, first with the clerk, then in state Superior Court.
If Suarez does not challenge the ruling, or if his challenge is denied, he will have five business days to choose to resign. The clerk will then set the recall election for a date approximately two months later.
The whole process will take at least 90 days, which would result in the special election’s being held in late June.
Suarez did not say if he would challenge the measure, but he questioned the timeliness of the petition and what the petitioners told residents.
“Numerous residents have complained that they were informed that it was a petition either in support of me or to lower taxes, not that it was a recall petition,” Suarez said, reading from a prepared statement.
He declined to elaborate on the claims in the statement.
Avery, who lost the 2007 mayoral election to Suarez, called the claim that petitioners misled residents “sheer baloney” and added that many residents signed eagerly. “Some people physically chased us down the street demanding to sign [the petition],” Avery said.
He said the borough’s acting clerk set Monday as the final day to file the recall petition.
Council President Nicholas Lonzisero said the effort is an “unfortunate but necessary step” to restore order to the borough.
Republicans hold a 4-2 council majority and do not need Democratic votes to pass any measures. Lonzisero said, however, that the mayor has tried to obstruct government business by refusing since January to sign checks for certain borough professionals.
The FBI arrested Suarez last July for allegedly agreeing to accept a bribe from an informant posing as a developer. He has maintained his innocence and expects to go to trial this fall.
There currently are several recall efforts in various stages throughout the state, including a special election scheduled for Nov. 10 to recall Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Vincent Barella.
Ridgefield Democratic Chairman Stephen Pellino said that the mayor is not guilty and residents will back him. “Most people here in Ridgefield are fair-minded people,” Pellino said. “They … believe you’re innocent until proven guilty and [Suarez] should stay in office unless and until he’s convicted.”
By MATTHEW VAN DUSEN The Record STAFF WRITER
RIDGEFIELD — A special election to recall Mayor Anthony Suarez could take place as early as June after local Republicans filed a petition with the borough clerk on Monday.
But Suarez, a Democrat, said that some residents have complained they were duped by the petitioners and he awaits “the opportunity to examine the signatures and the circumstances under which people were [led] into signing the petition.”
The filing, by Ridgefield Republican Organization Chairman Robert Avery, comes after a 160-day drive to get signatures from 25 percent, or approximately 1,450, of the borough’s registered voters. The petitioners, including several Republican councilmen, gathered about 1,850 signatures.
Avery said he is confident the recall of the Democratic mayor, who is facing federal corruption charges and has refused to resign, will be successful if it goes on the ballot. “I believe they’ll vote in overwhelming numbers to remove Suarez from office,” he said.
Several events have to happen before the recall election goes ahead, according to state law.
The borough clerk has 10 business days from Monday to verify the signatures on the petition. Then, Suarez has 10 business days to challenge the determination, first with the clerk, then in state Superior Court.
If Suarez does not challenge the ruling, or if his challenge is denied, he will have five business days to choose to resign. The clerk will then set the recall election for a date approximately two months later.
The whole process will take at least 90 days, which would result in the special election’s being held in late June.
Suarez did not say if he would challenge the measure, but he questioned the timeliness of the petition and what the petitioners told residents.
“Numerous residents have complained that they were informed that it was a petition either in support of me or to lower taxes, not that it was a recall petition,” Suarez said, reading from a prepared statement.
He declined to elaborate on the claims in the statement.
Avery, who lost the 2007 mayoral election to Suarez, called the claim that petitioners misled residents “sheer baloney” and added that many residents signed eagerly. “Some people physically chased us down the street demanding to sign [the petition],” Avery said.
He said the borough’s acting clerk set Monday as the final day to file the recall petition.
Council President Nicholas Lonzisero said the effort is an “unfortunate but necessary step” to restore order to the borough.
Republicans hold a 4-2 council majority and do not need Democratic votes to pass any measures. Lonzisero said, however, that the mayor has tried to obstruct government business by refusing since January to sign checks for certain borough professionals.
The FBI arrested Suarez last July for allegedly agreeing to accept a bribe from an informant posing as a developer. He has maintained his innocence and expects to go to trial this fall.
There currently are several recall efforts in various stages throughout the state, including a special election scheduled for Nov. 10 to recall Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Vincent Barella.
Ridgefield Democratic Chairman Stephen Pellino said that the mayor is not guilty and residents will back him. “Most people here in Ridgefield are fair-minded people,” Pellino said. “They … believe you’re innocent until proven guilty and [Suarez] should stay in office unless and until he’s convicted.”
Ridgefield mayor indicted in statewide corruption sting
Friday, December 18, 2009
BY PETER J. SAMPSON The Record Staff Writer
Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez was indicted today on federal extortion and bribery charges in a scheme to use a middleman to shake down an FBI informant posing as a developer eager to folk over thousands of dollars in payoffs for building approvals.
Suarez, a lawyer and Democrat who is serving his second term as mayor, was accused of conspiring with Vincent Tabbachino, 68, of Fairview, a family friend and the proprietor of a tax preparation business in Guttenberg.
As part of the scheme, Tabbachino allegedly accepted $10,000 in cash from the informant, a failed Monmouth County real estate developer named Solomon Dwek, in exchange for Suarez’s official assistance. Tabbachino then funneled $2,500 of that money into a legal defense fund set up by Suarez to defray his personal costs in a civil suit, a federal grand jury in Newark charged.
The two men were among 44 defendants arrested in July in a massive federal corruption and money-laundering sting that rocked a state’s political landscape.
Meeting in a Fairview restaurant last May, Dwek, the informant, explained to Suarez and Tabbachino, “I don’t, eh, support Democrat or Republican. I’m the green party,” the indictment said, citing government recordings of the encounter.
Suarez assured him, “I wanna get these things done,” but added that “in terms of projects … everything gets … weighed on its merits,” the indictment quoted him as saying.
When Dwek said he understood that Suarez would expedite his projects, the mayor reportedly stated, “I’ll do like anyone else. You know, nothing has to do with anything, you know.”
After Suarez left the table, however, Tabbachino informed Dwek that the mayor “was super scared,” and that he’d previously said he had to make certain remarks to Dwek “just in case [he’s] wired.”
Tabbachino then assured Dwek that Suarez would take care of him.
Suarez’s lawyer, John Michael Vazquez, said Suarez maintains his innocence and had asked federal prosecutors last month to hold off on the indictment so he could present additional evidence.
“We thought, based on the information we had, that the U.S. Attorney’s Office really should have considered dismissing the case,” Vazquez said. “The extra 30 days was just to let them know about some facts that they were not aware of.”
Suarez has defied calls from prominent Democrats, including Governor Corzine, to resign as mayor and has made a point to appear at community events and public meetings with a vocal group of public supporters. He is the only mayor among the three who were arrested in the sting who remains in office.
Still, an effort to recall Suarez has gathered several hundred of the 1,400 signatures necessary to force an election to recall Suarez, according to Robert Avery, the Ridgefield Republican Organization chairman, who is leading the effort.
Avery said the group has recently suspended the signature drive, which must be completed in the next two and a half months, in the hopes that the indictment would cause Suarez to step down.
“We’ve been holding off just a few more days on the recall, hoping that Mr. Suarez would make it easier on the town,” Avery said of the indictment.
Staff Writer Matthew Van Dusen contributed to this article.
BY PETER J. SAMPSON The Record Staff Writer
Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez was indicted today on federal extortion and bribery charges in a scheme to use a middleman to shake down an FBI informant posing as a developer eager to folk over thousands of dollars in payoffs for building approvals.
Suarez, a lawyer and Democrat who is serving his second term as mayor, was accused of conspiring with Vincent Tabbachino, 68, of Fairview, a family friend and the proprietor of a tax preparation business in Guttenberg.
As part of the scheme, Tabbachino allegedly accepted $10,000 in cash from the informant, a failed Monmouth County real estate developer named Solomon Dwek, in exchange for Suarez’s official assistance. Tabbachino then funneled $2,500 of that money into a legal defense fund set up by Suarez to defray his personal costs in a civil suit, a federal grand jury in Newark charged.
The two men were among 44 defendants arrested in July in a massive federal corruption and money-laundering sting that rocked a state’s political landscape.
Meeting in a Fairview restaurant last May, Dwek, the informant, explained to Suarez and Tabbachino, “I don’t, eh, support Democrat or Republican. I’m the green party,” the indictment said, citing government recordings of the encounter.
Suarez assured him, “I wanna get these things done,” but added that “in terms of projects … everything gets … weighed on its merits,” the indictment quoted him as saying.
When Dwek said he understood that Suarez would expedite his projects, the mayor reportedly stated, “I’ll do like anyone else. You know, nothing has to do with anything, you know.”
After Suarez left the table, however, Tabbachino informed Dwek that the mayor “was super scared,” and that he’d previously said he had to make certain remarks to Dwek “just in case [he’s] wired.”
Tabbachino then assured Dwek that Suarez would take care of him.
Suarez’s lawyer, John Michael Vazquez, said Suarez maintains his innocence and had asked federal prosecutors last month to hold off on the indictment so he could present additional evidence.
“We thought, based on the information we had, that the U.S. Attorney’s Office really should have considered dismissing the case,” Vazquez said. “The extra 30 days was just to let them know about some facts that they were not aware of.”
Suarez has defied calls from prominent Democrats, including Governor Corzine, to resign as mayor and has made a point to appear at community events and public meetings with a vocal group of public supporters. He is the only mayor among the three who were arrested in the sting who remains in office.
Still, an effort to recall Suarez has gathered several hundred of the 1,400 signatures necessary to force an election to recall Suarez, according to Robert Avery, the Ridgefield Republican Organization chairman, who is leading the effort.
Avery said the group has recently suspended the signature drive, which must be completed in the next two and a half months, in the hopes that the indictment would cause Suarez to step down.
“We’ve been holding off just a few more days on the recall, hoping that Mr. Suarez would make it easier on the town,” Avery said of the indictment.
Staff Writer Matthew Van Dusen contributed to this article.
Ruling lets Ridgefield group proceed with mayor recall bid
Friday, October 9, 2009
BY MATTHEW VAN DUSEN The Record STAFF WRITER
RIDGEFIELD – A state Superior Court judge cleared the way on Friday for Republicans to circulate a petition to recall Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez.
The petition had been held up over a procedural dispute between Borough Republican Chairman Robert Avery, who filed the lawsuit, and Borough Clerk Martin Gobbo.
Gobbo said the law didn’t allow the Republicans to issue a second notice of intention to recall the mayor after they discovered they didn’t have enough time to collect signatures under the first notice.
“Plainly, the citizens of Ridgefield have not yet been given [the] opportunity to hold such a recall vote,” Judge Robert C. Wilson wrote in his opinion. “They have been effectively disenfranchised with a technicality through the ministerial functions of the borough clerk.”
The Republicans had not gathered any of the more than 1,400 signatures necessary to hold the election, the court wrote.
They now have 160 days to gather and submit the signatures and, if they are successful, residents will vote in a special recall election next year.
The dispute over the notices had prevented Republicans from pushing the petition in the run-up to the Nov. 3 borough council election. Suarez is charged with agreeing to accept a $10,000 bribe from an FBI informant posing as a developer, according to federal court documents.
Suarez’s term expires on Dec. 31, 2011.
Avery and two Republican councilmen gave the first notice to Gobbo in August. But by the time it was approved and Suarez issued a counter-statement only 14 days remained to collect voters’ signatures, according to the suit.
Avery tried to rescind the first notice and file a new one so petition supporters could have more time to gather the necessary signatures. Gobbo argued that the previous notice was a failed effort to recall the mayor and a new recall effort could not start for one year.
The court sided with Avery, finding that the first notice was not complete because it was never circulated and that he was not given the full 160 days to gather signatures.
Avery, who is a lawyer and a 2007 candidate for mayor, represented himself in the matter.
“He was flat wrong,” Avery said of Gobbo. “He succeeded singlehandedly in delaying a recall election.”
Gobbo said he accepted the judge’s ruling and has appended Suarez’s original rebuttal statement to the new petition. The election will cost $16,500, he added.
“I believe they can gather signatures today,” Gobbo said.
BY MATTHEW VAN DUSEN The Record STAFF WRITER
RIDGEFIELD – A state Superior Court judge cleared the way on Friday for Republicans to circulate a petition to recall Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez.
The petition had been held up over a procedural dispute between Borough Republican Chairman Robert Avery, who filed the lawsuit, and Borough Clerk Martin Gobbo.
Gobbo said the law didn’t allow the Republicans to issue a second notice of intention to recall the mayor after they discovered they didn’t have enough time to collect signatures under the first notice.
“Plainly, the citizens of Ridgefield have not yet been given [the] opportunity to hold such a recall vote,” Judge Robert C. Wilson wrote in his opinion. “They have been effectively disenfranchised with a technicality through the ministerial functions of the borough clerk.”
The Republicans had not gathered any of the more than 1,400 signatures necessary to hold the election, the court wrote.
They now have 160 days to gather and submit the signatures and, if they are successful, residents will vote in a special recall election next year.
The dispute over the notices had prevented Republicans from pushing the petition in the run-up to the Nov. 3 borough council election. Suarez is charged with agreeing to accept a $10,000 bribe from an FBI informant posing as a developer, according to federal court documents.
Suarez’s term expires on Dec. 31, 2011.
Avery and two Republican councilmen gave the first notice to Gobbo in August. But by the time it was approved and Suarez issued a counter-statement only 14 days remained to collect voters’ signatures, according to the suit.
Avery tried to rescind the first notice and file a new one so petition supporters could have more time to gather the necessary signatures. Gobbo argued that the previous notice was a failed effort to recall the mayor and a new recall effort could not start for one year.
The court sided with Avery, finding that the first notice was not complete because it was never circulated and that he was not given the full 160 days to gather signatures.
Avery, who is a lawyer and a 2007 candidate for mayor, represented himself in the matter.
“He was flat wrong,” Avery said of Gobbo. “He succeeded singlehandedly in delaying a recall election.”
Gobbo said he accepted the judge’s ruling and has appended Suarez’s original rebuttal statement to the new petition. The election will cost $16,500, he added.
“I believe they can gather signatures today,” Gobbo said.
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