On October 27, a New York State Supreme Judge in Albany County ruled that the Reform Party’s organizational meeting of September 24, 2016, is valid. There are two factions in the Reform Party of New York. The faction that held the organizational meeting declined to choose any presidential elector candidates, and elected Curtis Sliwa as state chair. Sliwa is best known for having founded the anti-crime group Guardian Angels.
The other faction is beholden to the New York Republican Party and has generally nominated candidates for district and county office who are also Republican Party nominees.
The attendees at the Sliwa faction’s meeting had all been elected at the September 13, 2016 primary to the Reform Party state committee. The other faction challenged the meeting on the grounds that, potentially, there were 456 members of the party’s state committee that might have been elected in the September primary. But the decision points out that the 2015 party rules did not say the party needs to elect a state committee in every single district in the state. Because 16 of the 18 actual members of the State Committee participated in the September 24 meeting, which is more than the required two-thirds quorum, the judge said the meeting was valid.
The judge also said that the people who filed the lawsuit to invalidate the meeting had failed to serve one of the 18 members, and had failed to serve the Reform Party itself, which also means that the lawsuit should be dismissed. The case is Merrell v Sliwa, Albany Co., 5829-16. Thanks to Frank Morano for this news. UPDATE: here is a news story.
Why is it that crackpot minor parties cannot avoid intense factionalism when major parties, with much broader coalitions with disparate interests, manage to avoid this?
It’s because minor parties, by their nature, attract the mentally ill.
The vigilante group Guardian Angels.
Are you trying to say that the 2 major Parties aren’t themselves divided? Do you live in a cave?
It wouldn’t be the Reform Party if there wasn’t a faction fight. The legacy of the Reform Party is a legacy of internal factions fighting.
Factionalism in the major parties has been very evident in some years. In 1912 the Republican Parties of California and South Dakota refused to choose presidential elector candidates pledged to the party’s national nominee. The same thing happened to the Democratic Party in four states in 1948, two states in 1960, one state in 1964, and one state in 1968.
Well Mr. Grayson, it’s because the ruling parties’ Establishments have been virulently shutting down any dissent within their own parties in recent years. Just look at what happened to Ron Paul in the Republican Party in 2012, and Bernie Sanders in the “Democratic” Party this year. The Green Party (of which I am a proud member of) may bicker from time to time, but I much prefer that compared to the forced conformity of the “Democratic” (more like INGSOC this year) and Republican Parties.
Richard Grayson,
It is because of New York’s system of con-fusion, where parties are given a ballot line, before they have any members, and it is illegal to even be a member, no officers, and no bylaws.
Curtis Sliwa is standing up for People, US citizen voters, looking for political reform. So ironic that the NYC mayor would not recognize the Reform party. So ironic that Curtis tried to serve the Mayor at the People’s Graveyard mansion, then was arrested and hauled away.
http://northamericanassociation.com/reformpartynys/reformparty2.pdf
http://northamericanassociation.com/reformpartynys/reformparty1.pdf
Reform Party IS TRADEMARKED BY BILL MERRELL, NATIONAL CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL REFORM PARTY
Would you please help me run for governor of NY as a stepping-stone for a presidential bid. Google Kaney for President to see my partial platform. Debating champ, martial artist, saint, good-looking. Drug-testing in the schools in exchange for free lunch. Also DNA testing to prevent crime and out-of-wedlock births. Life in prison for gun crimes and mugging seniors and rape. Clean energy. Arm the Guardian Angels. Plus a lot more!