Superior Court Judge Timothy Chell tossed a bid for a recount in several Republican county committee races in Monroe Township because former GOP Municipal Chairman Fernando Powers – who was a no-show at this morning’s court hearing due to illness – didn’t have the legal standing to appear on behalf of the candidates.
Powers, who lost the party leadership post to Mark Kozachyn after an off-the-line slate captured almost four times as many county committee seats on June 6, filed a lawsuit seeking a recount in two districts, and the seating of three write-in candidates.
One of the write-in candidates Powers listed as a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed last Friday was Raymond Trombetta, who received two write-in votes in a district where the municipal clerk determined a winner needed at least three. Trombetta was not in court today, since he had passed away on June 2, four days before the primary.
Joseph Camaioni, who lost to Christopher Cugini by one vote, 36-35, was in court.
“Who are you?” Chell asked.
“ I’m Joseph Camaioni,” he said. “ I’m a plaintiff.”
“You’re not a plaintiff, sir. Here’s the problem. You’re not a plaintiff. And that’s the problem with the whole case. Mr. Powers is the plaintiff. You’re not. He lists a number of people, Mr. Powers did, in his complaint, but he’s the only one that verified the complaint. He’s the only one that signed the verification. He’s the plaintiff.”
Chell also said that Deputy Attorney General George Cohen “really shouldn’t even be here” because Powers didn’t name his clients, the Gloucester County Board of Elections and the Superintendent of Elections in his lawsuit.
In asking for a dismissal, John Carbone, an attorney representing one of the defendants, Gloucester County Clerk John Hogan, said Powers “did not seek a recheck of the machines.”
The judge agreed.
“That’s my reading, Mr. Carbone, so I wouldn’t even consider a recheck because his complaint didn’t even sound like he wanted a recheck. It sounded like he wanted a recount or to contest certain portions,” Chell said.
Chell cautioned Camaioni that if he does file for a recount – the deadline for that has likely passed – he’ll need a little more meat on the bone.
“You can’t just say, I want a recount,” Chell said. “You have to say a little more than that.”
Camaioni offered some praise for Powers.
“I’ll just say he’s taking responsibility as the outgoing chairman as best he could,” Camaioni said. “I appreciated him tackling the filling out of the forms in regard to my situation.”
Powers lost his own county committee seat by 28 percentage points against a slate that ran with Republican State Senate candidate Christopher Del Borrello.
Chell denied a request by the New Jersey Globe to livestream Friday’s hearing. Chell decided to conduct an in-person hearing, which forced community members and interested parties to go to Woodbury to observe the proceedings.