An aide to Newark Council President LaMonica McIver told the New Jersey Globe that he and others collected signatures for his boss to get on the ballot for the special Democratic primary in the 10th congressional district, disputing a certification that the candidate’s mother was the lone circulator.
“I helped collect signatures. We were all out collecting signatures,” said Hassan Abdus-Sabur. “Everybody collected signatures.
Another candidate, former East Orange Councilwoman Brittany Claybrooks, has asked an Administrative Law Judge Kim Belin to toss McIver’s petitions, questioning how a single circulator, McIver’s mother, Robin, could have secured 1,081 signatures alone in less than three days.
In court yesterday, McIver’s attorney, Harrison Clewell, said the argument relied on unconfirmed speculation over Robin McIver’s signature-gathering prowess.
But Abdus-Sabur confirmed that a team of people helped get petition signatures.
“One circulator didn’t circulate 1,000 signatures,” he explained. “I helped collect signatures. I’m speaking for myself. I collected signatures.”
The New Jersey Globe reached Abdus-Sabur at McIver’s city council office, where he is one of her aides.
Abdus-Sabur confirmed that he was on a text message exchange last night with twelve other people discussing the court hearing that was obtained by the New Jersey Globe. Others on the chain included Newark West Ward Councilman Dupré “Doitall” Kelly and another Democratic candidate for Congress, Debra Salters.
“I was on the hearings all day, I collected over 50 signatures,” Abdus-Sabur wrote. “My petitions were under question; it had me and my mother and my sister on it. Waste of taxpayers’ money.”
In another text, Adbus-Sabur said, “they are mad Robin worked the senior buildings.”
“She got over 250 herself,” he said.
In the text exchange, Felicia Alston-Singleton, a Central Ward tenant advocate, pushed back on the accuracy of what was being said in court.
“They didn’t tell the judge you collected them,” Alston-Singleton said. “It states one person did.”
Abdul-Sabur responded: “Waste of time and money.”
McIver quickly disassociated herself from her council aide.
“I reject everything Hassan said,” McIver stated. “I don’t know what Hassan’s talking about.”
Claybrooks’ petitions also face a challenge.
Administrative Law Judge Susana Guerrero spent parts of two days hearing allegations that some of Claybrooks’ signatures were fraudulent.
At one point, attorney Raj Parikh pointed to successive number of signatures in a single household where each signer appeared to have identical handwriting; it appears that one person signed for an entire family.
Parikh had served the circulators of Claybrooks’ petitions with subpoenas, but none showed up in court.
Update: Belin reopened a challenge to McIver’s nominating petitions, and held a hearing at 3 PM. Without McIver aide Hassan Abdus-Sabur appearing in court, she again closed the hearing. A written decision on the petition challenge is expected by 5 PM.