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ALBANY At first glance, the challenges filed earlier this month to the petitions for two Democratic candidates for the Albany County Legislature to get on Novembers ballot appear run of the mill.

Whats noticeable is the name behind those challenges.

The attorney working on behalf of the two Republican and Conservative candidates trying to get their opponents knocked off the ballot is Matthew Clyne, the former Democratic commissioner for the Albany County Board of Elections. Clyne, who did not seek another term as commissioner after a 2020 dispute over wearing masks in the Board of Elections building, later enrolled in the countys Conservative Party.

Clyne, who also once led the town of Bethlehem Democratic committee, was a powerhouse in county politics for years and is considered one of the foremost state election law experts in the county. Since leaving his county positionshe has worked for politicians on both sides of the aisle.

He did not return a call for comment.

The lawsuits challenge the petitions filed by Herbert Joseph, of Rensselaerville, who is seeking to represent parts of southern Albany County that includes much of theHilltowns, and Ansel Asch, who is running in Colonie.

Both are challenging sitting legislators, Christopher Smith in the Hilltowns and Jennifer Whalenin Colonie. Smith is seeking his third term and Whalen is seeking her second. All 39 of the County Legislatures seats are up for election this year.

Whalens challenge to her opponents petitions alleges that in his initial filing on April 3 with the county Board of Elections, Aschs petition did not have the required number of properly filled out signatures. Asch filed a second set of signatures several days later as part of a Volume 2 that included two cover sheets.

On Friday, Whalen said Aschs petitions were, defective and sloppy.

We cant have people that are sloppy representing the people of the 21st district, she said.

Ryan Horstmyer, the chair of the Colonie Democratic committee, said he believed Whalens challenge to Aschs petitions would fail and that there is nothing in the states election law that prohibits filing petitions on different days.

We know we got more than the minimum number of clean signatures that have no issues, he said.

Smith, who ran as a Democrat and Conservative in 2019, is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines this fall. He could not be reached for comment.

Smiths challenge to Herberts petition is focused on a different issue, arguing that his petition doesnt meet the requirements for a designating petition and relies on conflicting witness statements.

Specifically, Herberts petition includes signed statements from a witness as well as a notary public, but on at least two sheets, the number of signatures that the two attest to do not match.

These discrepancies cast into doubt the validity of all the signatures on the petition, Clyne wrote.

Joseph disputed that that his petition was faulty.

I collected more signatures than I needed, he said. Hes objecting because what, for the first time in eight years, he actually has some competition?

The two challenges are scheduled for hearings in Albany County Supreme Court early this week.

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Former Albany Democrat Matthew Clyne challenging petitions - Times Union