Lyon Sees Path to Freeholder Seat
Towaco resident says he may run unopposed at Republican County Committee convention.
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William "Hank" Lyon said Wednesday he has heard there's a good chance he will be running unopposed when the Republican County Committee votes to fill a vacant seat previously held by Margaret Nordstrom, though he's still waiting to hear officially whether Nordstrom will be vying to return to the seat after an appellate court removed her from the position.
Nordstrom, a Long Valley resident, has cleaned out her office in the county administrative building and told the Observer-Tribune it's time to move on, according to the newspaper.
But Lyon, a Towaco resident, said he still hasn't heard from Nordstrom if she is bowing out of the contest. She previously said she would try to be returned to the seat at the convention. Nordstrom couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Truscha Quatrone, a Towaco resident who was on the ballot with Nordstrom in the general election, says the appellate court's decision means she should get the seat.
"I intend to pursue my legal rights in making sure that I am seated," Quatrone said Wednesday. Her attorney, Paul Bangiola, has said she is entitled to be appointed to the seat because Nordstrom wasn't legally the candidate for any party and Quatrone received the second highest number of votes.
Lyon said some people are suggesting the Republican Party somehow messed up the Republican primary, but he said the responsibility falls with the judge who, according to the appeals court, improperly overturned the results in the first place.
After a recount, Lyon had beaten Nordstrom, a four-term freeholder, last June by six votes. Nordstrom went to court and Superior Court Assignment Judge Thomas Weisenbeck tossed Lyon's victory based on alleged campaign finance violations and supposed voting irregularities.
That sent the question of who the GOP nominee should be to a convention and, among a group of 421 party faithful, Nordstrom won by five votes.
Nordstrom then beat Quatrone in November by about 18,000 votes while Lyon's ultimately successful appeal was underway.
Lyon said there's a sentiment among Republicans that it's time to move on and that the party should "coalesce around the person the people picked."
"I think it would be the best thing for the Republican party," Lyon said.
This story is published across Patch sites in Morris County. Comments below may be posted by residents of any of those towns.
PatienceWorth
10:14 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Note to Hank -- never part your hair on the other side and affect a toothbrush moustache.
Lucretia G.
10:46 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Herr Hank über alles!
Domino
2:13 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
No need to sink to that level. It's not like anyone is going to mistake your candidate for Kate Upton anytime soon.
Hank Heller
11:52 am on Friday, February 17, 2012
I don't know what this blog means from PatienceWorth and Lucretia G., but I find it offensive and ugly. I really don't care if you are for or against any of the people involved, but this approach is cowardly and unkind. If you want to make an accusation, please write it out plainly and sign your actual name to it. That might not mean that you are right, but it would mean, at least, that you have the power of your convictions.
Hank Heller
HistorianWT
9:18 pm on Monday, February 20, 2012
Domino, speaking of sinking to levels, it sounds like you are from eastern Morris County, so you might not know that from 2005 to 2008 Washington Township had a "one and done" Committeeman named Kevin Nedd whose public statements were posted on a campaign site called "kevinneddsaid" and led to the biggest electoral loss of any incumbent is the 200 year old history of Morris County. Followed by a criminal conviction and life downward spiral. So not every elected iofficial is going to want a chronicle of his blather! lol...
george stafford
11:36 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Nobody has to appoint Quatrone to the seat. She ran and was qualified in the general election, Nordstrom rn but was unqualified, no one else ran by process of elimination Quatrone won the seat. Period.
The Stig
12:35 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Dem Game Plan - Tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, and people will eventually come to believe it.
Trish Quatrone will not be seated, regardless of how many times you and Mr. Grant post The Big Lie.
J
1:39 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Quattrone might actually be correct. Thanks to the trial judge's screw-up, we have no way of knowing for sure whether Lyon would have beaten Quatrone. It wouldn't have been the first time an inexperienced Tea Party Republican blew an election that the GOP should have won easily (see, e.g., Christine O'Donnell in Delaware).
My preference would be a special election between Lyon and Quatrone, but that costs money. Failing that, go ahead and seat Quatrone for the balance of the term. As the only Democrat on the Board, she won't have much of an impact and would still be a big underdog when she runs for "re-election."
The Stig
3:06 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
With today's decision on another contested election, it's hard to believe that the NJ Supremes would back the Dem's argument - http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/02/nj_supreme_court_voids_mosquer.html
J
4:25 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Special election here we come?
The Stig
1:11 am on Friday, February 17, 2012
Nope, a Republican will be selected at a still-to-be scheduled county committee gathering. Believe it will need to take place in the next 30 days or so.
Al Iervolino
6:28 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
i can't believe how childish people are. actually nothing surprises me these days.
Robert Lawrence
7:55 am on Friday, February 17, 2012
Hank Lyon unfortunately made himself a handmaiden of Tea Partiers like Bill Eames. Lyon has marginalized himself, and Lyon's reputation for fringe extremism will be a permanent liability that likely will sink any attempt by Lyon to go beyond county freeholder.
I'll probably still vote for Lyon for freeholder, but the young man's apparent succumbing to bad associations will be something he'll have a tough time ever living down.
The Stig
11:10 am on Friday, February 17, 2012
What "extreme" positions did he take?
Hank Heller
11:03 am on Friday, February 17, 2012
For whatever arcane and ugly reasons this charade happened, the right thing to do is to have a special election and let the people decide whom they want to represent them. The fact that this will cost money is irrelevant, since preserving the rights of the voters is much more important than ceding our rights to either the Democratic Party's or the Republican Party's apparachiks.
Hank Heller
The Stig
12:26 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012
The problem is that the court voided the primary election decision, so you would have to hold a primary and a general election for the seat. I'd rather leave the spot vacant until the next general election is completed and, as you noted, all the voters have a chance to weigh-in.
Dan Grant
12:45 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012
Let us see how this has all worked out when it is over. Technically there was only one qualified person who got votes and that is Truscha. Hopefully she has the legal support to make her claim to the office she won. I know Hank Lyon and his fathers. I don't think the comments are called for. I don't believe the campaign violations were intentional but the simple fact was that he wasn't on the ballot, Margrett was and shouldn't have been and Truscha was the legitimate winner as a result.
The Stig
1:06 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012
I guess Dan has decided to continue to ignore the NJ Supreme Court's ruling - http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2012/02/supreme_court_ruling_voids_mos.html, which will give Fourth District Assembly
seat to the Democrats, even though they declared their candidate was ineligible to run because of residency requirements.
By his logic the Republican was the only valid candidate on the ballot and should therefore be declared the winner. The court, agreeing with her on the issue of residency, declined to agree to her point on who should fill the vacancy.
Dan Grant
12:46 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012
oops father. I don't want to start any rumors.
Moses Lonn
12:11 am on Sunday, February 19, 2012
It seems oddly just that young Lyon just dropped $125,000 or so in legal fees to give the Morris Freeholder seat to Ms. Quattrone.
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