Vote New York

A Saratoga Springs lawyer running for Saratoga County Family Court judge is crying foul over the way the county Independence Party endorsed his opponent.

The Saratoga County Independence Party has endorsed Family Court Judge Courtenay Hall as Hall seeks re-election.

Kurt Mausert, a Democrat who has challenged Hall, has asked the Independence Party to withdraw its endorsement because the party’s leader apparently reneged on a pledge to invite Mausert to the meeting at which the endorsement was decided.

Mausert said he talked to Lee Kolesnikoff, chairman of the party, earlier this year about a potential endorsement, and Kolesnikoff said he would contact Mausert when the date of the endorsement meeting was set.

“I told him I’d call him again in a few weeks, but he said, ‘No, I’ll call you,’” Mausert said.

When Mausert hadn’t heard anything further from Kolesnikoff, he called this week, only to be told that Hall had been endorsed.

Kolesnikoff said he apparently invited the wrong candidate to the endorsement meeting, Mausert said. He told Mausert he apparently contacted Queensbury lawyer Robert Muller, who is running for state Supreme Court, instead of Mausert.

Muller, though, said Wednesday that he was not invited to any meetings by Kolesnikoff. Muller said he spoke with Kolesnikoff about an endorsement of his campaign, but was told the party doesn’t endorse in Supreme Court races.

Mausert said he asked Kolesnikoff to reconsider the endorsement and allow him to address the party’s membership. But Kolesnikoff refused, Mausert said.

“He said ‘It was a mistake’ and I said ‘The way to address a mistake is to correct it,’” Mausert said. “He said ‘I’ll thank you not to tell me how to run my party.”

Mausert said he is concerned the Independence Party is “in bed” with the county Republican Committee. Hall is a Republican.

Kolesnikoff would not discuss the matter when reached by phone Wednesday, repeatedly replying “no comment” when a reporter asked him questions about the situation.

Hall could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

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