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SCHENECTADY Damonni Farley can run for Schenectady City Council, just not as a Democrat.

On Friday, state Supreme Court Justice Barry Kramer threw out Farley's petition on procedural grounds.

The insurgent Democrat backed by Mayor Gary McCarthy went to court in hopes of overturning a decision by the Board of Elections that knocked him off the Democratic ballot when 481 signatures on his petitions were found because for assorted reasons to be invalid.

The left Farley with only has 668 valid petitions, and he needed 752 to force a primary because Farley would have been the fourth Democrat vying for three open City Council seats.

Many signatures that the election commissioners threw out last week were ruled invalid because they were Democrats whose actual addresses did not match those on file with the Board of Elections while others who signed the petitions were enrolled in another political party.

Kramer told Farley's attorney, Daniel Smalls, that besides the paperwork not being filed properly the biggest problem was that he failed to include former City Council President Margaret "Peggy" King in the petition he filed Monday.

"She had to named so she had an opportunity to be heard," said Kramer shortly before dismissing the matter.

King filed objections to 534 of the 1,149 signatures submitted by Farley.

Kramer also said it was too late to revise the court document because the statute of limitations had run out.

"This procedural aspect cannot be fixed," said Kramer.

Afterwards, Frank Salamone, who argued the case for the county, said his office was "gratified that the bipartisan decision was upheld," a reference to the fact that Commissioners Amy Hild, a Democratic, and Darlene Harris, a Republican, presided over the process. Both were in court.

Farley said he's disappointed the case wasn't heard, but he's now looking forward to the general election in November.

"This entire process has energized the city of Schenectady and they are gonna come out and vote for me on the Working Family Party line," he added. "Its a new day, we're fired up and ready to go."

The incumbent Democrats are John Mootooveren, Marion Porterfield and Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas.

Three other candidates vying for a City Council seat are Rima Cerrone, a Republican, Mohamed Hafez, a registered Democrat running on the GOP line, and Joseph Muno, who is collecting signatures for a bid as an independent candidate.

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Farley's bid in court to force Democrats into primary foiled - Albany Times Union