Dover primary shakeup: Judge allows former mayor back on ballot; Dem rival drops out

Former Dover Mayor James Dodd and his "Rescue Dover" ticket are back on the primary ballot after a Morris County judge ruled against the acting town clerk, who had invalidated their nominating petitions on technical grounds.

Reacting to the judge's decision, another Dover Democrat running for mayor − First Ward Alderwoman Sandra Wittner − dropped out of the primary Wednesday night, citing a need for her "Dover Forward" ticket to focus on gaining control of the town's Democratic Committee.

That leaves three Democrats still running for mayor in the June 6th primary: Dodd, incumbent Mayor Carolyn Blackman and former Alderman Edward Correa. In heavily Democratic Dover, where no Republicans have filed to run for mayor, a win in the primary likely clears the way for victory in the general election this November.

Dodd sought court relief on Tuesday after acting Dover clerk Rey Julve invalidated his nominating petition following a challenge by the town Democratic committee, which claimed Dodd had moved to Fredon in Sussex County. Julve's denial letter to Dodd concluded he had not "established" that he was registered to vote in the Town of Dover or that he'd been a resident in the town for at least a year, a requirement under state law.

Responding to additional challenges by the committee, led by mayoral candidate Correa, Julve also denied petitions from Dodd's running mates in this year's Board of Alderman races. Julve cited infractions including invalid addresses for First Ward candidate Claudia Toro and Second Ward candidate Sergio Rodriguez.

But state Superior Court Judge Stuart Minkowitz, ordered them to be placed back on the ballot Wedneday, after hearing arguments at a Morristown hearing a day earlier.

"The proofs Dodd has provided are sufficient to establish he has been domiciled in Dover for at least one year prior to the Dover primary election for mayor, even at different addresses," Minkowitz wrote in his decision. "Moreover, Dodd has certified that he has lived in Dover for his entire life."

"We will not let our opponents, with their negative campaigning, or the incompetency of town clerk Rey Julve and the current administration to hinder our efforts to make Dover a better place," Dodd wrote in a statement announcing his court victory. "This frivolous lawsuit, initiated by Dover First and Edward Correa, wasted tens of thousands of Dover’s taxpayer dollars, dollars that could have been used for education, recreation, public safety, and other important local matters."

Correa, who chairs the committee and leads the "Dover First" ticket, also is endorsed by the Morris County Democratic committee, giving his ticket the coveted top line on the primary ballot.

"We wholeheartedly disagree with the judge's decision because the integrity of the election has been put in jeopardy," Correa said after the decisions were handed down. "We have been reporting since 2021 to the Morris County Board of Elections cases of nonresidents of Dover boarding at businesses. Now we have non-residents aspiring for local office. This is a major concern that we are going to educate our community about during this election."

Julve invalidated Toro's petition stating that he concluded she lived in Randolph. Toro testified that she lived in a Dover apartment house where she also ran a business in a separate suite.

"It is now undisputed, and Toro has certified, that she is currently registered to vote at [an] address in Dover," Minkowitz wrote after reviewing Julve's conclusion and hearing testimony from her that he found to be "truthful."

"Toro gave no indications she was uttering falsehoods or omitting relevant information," Minkowitz wrote.

Democratic stronghold

Wendy Huron Carmona, a candidate for the Board of Aldermen in the Second Ward, is the only Republican candidate to file a petition in the field.

Dodd served three terms as mayor before losing two bitter campaigns to Blackman in 2019 after the Morris County Democratic Committee endorsed a slate of candidates that successfully opposed Dodd's supporters on the Board of Aldermen the prior year.

After losing the primary to Blackman, Dodd again ran as an independent against her in the November general election and lost by 50 votes. Blackman became Dover's first female mayor and the first Black woman to lead the town.

Blackman, however, failed to win her party's endorsement in her bid for a second term at last month's Dover Democratic Committee convention.

Dover Forward slate withdraws

Following the judge's decision, Wittner and the three alderman board candidates on Dover Forward issued a statement announcing their departure from the race.

"We have always said we would not run a campaign that wouldn't be viable," the statement reads. "Today's alarming court decisions to restore candidates to the ballot whose petitions had previously been rejected rendered our races nearly impossible to win."

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Dover Forward also criticized a decision by Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi to place all off-line candidates − meaning the Dodd, Wittner and Blackman tickets − in a second, separate column on the primary ballot instead of giving each ticket its own column "like it has always done, even after our campaign made an official request that precedent be followed."

Ballot placement controversy

On Wednesday, Grossi said that as a candidate for re-election herself, she is recused from working on the primary ballot, but that her staff was following state guidelines revised in 2021 under New Jersey's Title 19.

"The Dover ballot isn't even done yet," she said, noting the town clerk still must update his filings to reflect the recent changes.

Dover Forward will now focus on "taking back our local Democratic party," the Dover Forward slate added in their statement.

"We'll put all of our efforts into winning control of the Dover Democratic Committee because, as we have learned throughout the last several years, nothing can be done without a seat at that table," they wrote.

New Jersey's primary elections will take place June 6. Independent candidates have until June 12 to file for the general election on Nov. 7.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Dover NJ primary shakeup: James Dodd back on the ballot per judge