[Editor's note: The following "public statement" was released by Town of Thompson Democratic Committee chairperson Betty Friedland on October 19.]

MONTICELLO -- Democratic candidates Robert Friedland, John Barbarite, and Alvin Dumas have filed challenges to the Conservative petition filed for candidates Gary Sommers, David Rosenberg and Monis Brafman for the forthcoming Village of Monticello elections.

These challenges come on the heels of a challenge to the Republican petition which was filed by a member of the Republican Party.

All of the challenges were filed to protest what was viewed as a deliberate attempt by the candidates on the Republican and Conservative team to mislead the members of their own parties.

What has happened was that the Republican and Conservative petitions were circulated with the names of candidates who were not going to run for office. After the petitions were signed and filed with the Board of Elections the Republican party played "musical petitions" and had their vacancy committees substitute the names of the real candidates. This is not the first time the Republican party in Thompson has done this.

Those Republicans who thought they were signing a petition for Gary Sommers and June Bartol will now find out that they were duped. Gary Sommers and June Bartol have since been replaced by James Kenny and David Rosenberg. For Republicans who signed the petition, this substitution might even be more of a surprise when they find out that David Rosenberg is a Democrat.

Many people wonder why James Kenny and David Rosenberg hid behind Gary Sommers and June Bartol instead of putting their names on the petitions in the first place. This way the people asked to sign the petition wouldn't have been deceived.

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