Judge Grants Raymaker’s Motion to Join Suit Against Lopez
By Shane Smith • Aug 7th, 2009 • Category: Blog, Politics
Community activist Norrice Raymaker, who ran on the One Jersey City ticket against Ward C Councilwoman Nidia Rivera Lopez in this year’s municipal election, recently filed a motion to join a lawsuit seeking that Lopez be disqualified from office based on allegations that her primary residence is in Florida. The suit was originally brought by the second-place finisher in the Ward C race, Jimmy King, who has indicated he will not pursue the case because of his arrest in connection with last month’s broad-ranging federal corruption bust. Reports in JCI and elsewhere have erroneously stated that King has already dropped the suit.
Raymaker’s motion was granted today by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Maurice Gallipoli. During an emergency conference in his courtroom, he agreed with Raymaker’s claim that the motion to intervene carries “no prejudice” against Lopez; in other words, Raymaker’s name on the suit does not make it any more or less difficult for Lopez to mount a legal defense, because the substance of the case is unchanged. “If you were gonna win [the case] against Mr. King, you’re gonna win it against [Raymaker],” Gallipoli said to Lopez’s counsel as he granted the motion. He dismissed Lopez’s argument that Raymaker’s motion to intervene was untimely.
Diana Jeffrey, who is representing Raymaker along with Howard Myerowitz, said she was “pleased” with the judge’s decision. Speaking to JCI outside the courtroom just after the conference, she remarked that “the citizens of Jersey City … need to know [that] the people elected to serve them are eligible to hold office.”
Lopez’s attorney William Northgrave did not wish to comment.
Neither Raymaker nor Lopez was present in the courtroom this afternoon; they could not be reached immediately for comment.
Had Raymaker’s motion been denied, anyone wishing to disqualify Lopez would have to submit a new filing, which would now face the likelihood of being disqualified on the grounds that more than 30 days have passed since Lopez assumed office.
UPDATE: In a statement released by One Jersey City this afternoon, Raymaker said she is “encouraged” by the court’s decision. “Residents in Ward C need to know who Nidia Lopez really is and if she lives in Ward C,” she said.
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Shane Smith is the managing editor of Jersey City Independent.
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