Candidates End Hotly-Contested Legal Action,
Promote Positive Change For Hillside And Its Residents

HILLSIDE, NJ – March 21, 2018

In late December 2017, former Hillside mayoral candidate Jorge A. Batista, along with former municipal council candidates Nagy Sileem, Joshua S. Greenblatt and Joseph P. Brown, Sr., filed a petition with the Superior Court of New Jersey, on behalf of Hillside voters, citing irregularities in election officials’ administration of polling sites and vote-by-mail ballots during the December 5, 2017, runoff election for Mayor and at-large Councilmembers. With a mere 18 votes separating Batista and Vertreese, and the margin for the open Council seats only slightly wider, the candidates sought to ensure that the
election results reflected the voters’ true will.

Under timelines established by the Court, the candidates and their legal team launched a broad investigation into the runoff election, specifically examining the Union County Board of Elections’ standards for accepting or rejecting vote-by-mail ballots, election officials’ enforcement of procedural safeguards at polling sites, and whether or not those standards and procedures were applied fairly to all voters. That review, which included detailed analysis of over 3,000 records, exposed several discrepancies, such as: (1) conflicting treatment of mail-in ballots, where certain ballots were rejected based on apparent technical “defects” while others with the same “defects” were accepted; (2) inconsistent handling of vote-by-mail applications and mail-in ballots, leading to questions regarding compliance with election laws and apparent breaks in the chain of custody; and (3) failures to verify voter signatures at polling sites, raising issues of potential voter impersonation
and fraud. Such irregularities strike at the heart of citizens’ fundamental rights and are, justifiably, a galvanizing force behind efforts to protect those rights throughout the country.

Though the candidates feel strongly that those seeking public office have a duty to ensure that elections are conducted fairly, in the end, they are guided by the philosophy embodied in their campaign slogan, Putting Hillside First, and their commitment to the Township and its residents takes precedence. With the trial in this case still several months away, the candidates concluded that prolonging uncertainty over who will lead the Township into the next decade is not in Hillside’s best interests. Therefore, despite the abundant evidence supporting their claims, they ultimately decided that the most constructive path forward was to withdraw their challenge to the runoff election and, instead, shift focus toward ending the political discord within Hillside and collaborating with community leaders.

In a statement to the team’s supporters, Batista emphasized: “We’re all on the same side here–the Township’s side–and we look forward to working with Mayor Vertreese and the Township Council to unite our community and the deep-rooted values we share.”

Humbled by the outpouring of support during the elections and over the past several months, Batista, Sileem, Greenblatt and Brown, together, encourage Hillside residents to remain committed to progress. “We urge everyone in the Township, young or old, to get involved and stay involved local government,” said Batista. “Differing opinions and ideas are the foundation of the democratic process, and innovative perspectives will always drive positive change.”

The election contest action, captioned as Jorge A. Batista et al. v. Union County Board of Elections et al., was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Union County, before the Honorable Mark P. Ciarrocca, J.S.C., under Docket No. UNN-L-004547-17. Pleadings withdrawing the challenge were filed with the Court on March 21, 2018.