Greece Town Justice Gino Nitti is suing Monroe County Republican Party Chair Bill Reilich, saying Reilich has thrown him off the ballot over a political dispute with the Conservative Party. Reilich says in response that Justice Nitti failed to circulate the petitions he needed to run for another term, and effectively did himself off the ballot even though he had the party’s endorsement.
The Democrat and Chronicle reports that Nitti filed the suit Friday in State Supreme Court, demanding that Brett Granville’s name be pulled off the September primary ballot and replaced with his.
Nitti has been a Greece Town Justice since 2003. He was designated as one of the four town judicial candidates by the Greece GOP committee in April, and they designated Brett Granville for re-election to his 2nd Ward Town Council Seat. But when the actual nominating petitions were circulated in June, Nitti’s name was left off and replaced with Granville’s. In his court filing, Nitti says it was because of a disagreement over whether he had attended the Conservative Party dinner and would be cross-endorsed by the Conservatives.
Reilich says Nitti should have circulated his own petition if he wanted to be a candidate but didn’t.
Endorsement usually means the party commits to that candidate and puts the name on its petitions which are carried by party volunteers.
Monroe County Democrats have stepped forward and said they’ll cross-endorse Justice Nitti on their party line.