Judge turns down Wilkerson bid in Roselle

Superior Court Judge Mark Ciarrocca today rejected a last-minute bid by Roselle Councilwoman Denise Wilkerson to challenge a court order that left her off the general election ballot even though she received more votes than her opponent in the Democratic primary.

After a three-month legal battle that began in June, another judge, John Deitch, invalidated Wilkerson’s two-vote victory after finding that at least three voters were disenfranchised last June. Deitch initially ordered a new primary, and after learning that he couldn’t do that, ordered the Roselle Democratic Party to select a nominee. Cynthia Johnson, who lost the primary to Wilkerson, will be unopposed on the November 4 ballot.

Ciarrocca excluded Wilkerson’s argument that the Roselle Democrats didn’t follow their own by-laws when they chose Johnson as their nominee by a 20-7 vote.

“The court finds that the meeting took place pursuant to the Supreme Court order and within the timeline prescribed by the Supreme Court. Furthermore, the record reflects that (Democratic Municipal Chairman Reginald) Atkins noticed the meeting appropriately,” Ciarrocca stated in his ruling. “As for Wilkerson’s contention that she was not permitted to speak, the court finds that Johnson, too, was not permitted to do so. Therefore, because Wilkerson has not demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of success on the merits, the Court finds that this factor weighs in favor of denying injunctive relief.”


https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/judge-turns-down-wilkerson-bid-in-roselle/