Democrats in Ulster County have sued members of the Rosendale Republican Committee and one of their town board candidates, according to court documents. The Dems, through their attorney Michael Treybich, say the Rosendale Republican Caucus on July 16 was illegal and the results should be invalidated. Ulster County Supreme Court Judge Kevin Bryant will hear the arguments from both sides on August 5.

Treybich is recognized as an Election Law expert in the extended political community and has successfully represented candidates running for office throughout the state.

Ulster County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Kelleigh McKenzie and Marc Cassidy, the Rosendale Democrat nominated to run for the town board to fill an unexpired term on July 17 are the petitioners in the action. Specific members of the Rosendale Republican Committee and their town board candidate, Chris Maddern, are the named respondents along with the Ulster County Board of Elections (BOE). At the Rosendale GOP caucus held the day before Cassidy was nominated, the Republican caucus was held with Maddern being named the GOP candidate for the same open seat as Cassidy.

The court documents claim the Rosendale GOP caucus and the subsequent certificate of Maddern's nomination filed with the Ulster County BOE are invalid and should be nullified by the judge. The document specifically requests an order prohibiting the Ulster BOE from printing ballots with Maddern's name for the November 5 election.

New York State Election Law requires a specific timeframe for party caucuses, according to Treybich. The law requires that a notice of any party caucus held for nominating candidates for town offices needs to be posted in specific public locations, including the town clerk's office and the county board of elections. The Rosendale Republicans, the lawsuit says, failed to follow the timeline outlined in the law.

The petitioners argue that the GOP caucus had to be posted at the Ulster BOE no less than 10 days prior which was July 7, 2024, The notice was not posted at the BOE until July 10; three days late. The lawsuit cites a decision from the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division ruled that a notice of a caucus in that case was posted one day late and the court ruled the caucus and the candidate's nomination was invalid. "Because the notice provisions of Election Law are mandatory, the lack of compliance with the publication requirements of that section rendered the caucus, and consequently, the purported nominations invalid."

Mid Hudson News attempted to contact Maddern at his residence for a response and was advised by a neighbor that he is vacationing in Hawaii for two weeks.