Objection Filed to GOP Challenger's Petition

The Rev. Jeffrey Boucher's candidacy for the GOP nomination for a Township Committee seat has been called into question, with an objection filed with Town Hall.

Jeremiah Larkin, a member of the GOP's county committee and a signatory to Mayor Rudy Boonstra's petition to run, filed an objection by the challenge deadline today that questions the voter registration of the resident who validated Boucher's petition, John Haboob.

Additionally, the objection finds fault with how Boucher's signatures were certified while also questioning the voter registrations of several names on the document.

"When there are so many irregularities, you have to take another look," Boonstra said.

Boucher, pastor of Powerhouse Christian Church, was "absolutely surprised" by the objection, feeling that the move is purely politics.

"I thought, 'he (Boonstra) really doesn't want me to run,' " Boucher said. "I know the mayor, or at least I thought I did."

Boonstra said that when one enters the political fray, rules must be followed. "A challenge is a process provided by law... the rules are set down for a purpose."

The mayor's seat aboard the governing body expires this fall, with a three-year term up for grabs. Interested residents had until Monday to file petitions to run in the party primaries. While Democratic candidate Dr. Henry Velez will not be contested for a position on the fall ballot, Boonstra and Boucher will face each other in the primary for the right to challenge Velez.

Both men filed their petitions, which need a minimum of 100 signatures, by Monday's deadline. Boucher, president of Touch the World Ministries, provided 175 names, figuring his petition would then survive any potential challenge.

Indeed, several of the names were challenged on the grounds that the residents were either unregistered or were on the Democratic voter rolls. Boucher found that many people were unsure of their registration when he was collecting names and wasn't surprised to hear some may be invalid.

However, the petition itself is being called into doubt due to Haboob's voter registration. Boonstra said Haboob could not be in a position to validate Boucher's petition because he was a registered voter in Oakland at the time the petition was filed.

Boucher admits that Haboob was registered in Oakland, owing to a brief stint as a resident of the nearby municipality, but says there wasn't an attempt to breach any rules. Both men were under the impression that Haboob was registered in Wyckoff, and he has since re-registered in Wyckoff, Boucher said.

"That's because he got caught," Boonstra said.

Haboob could not be immediately reached for comment.

Additionally, the objection questions whether Haboob could have been witness to all the signatures collected, as he is the resident certifying that 13 pages of names are "true and correct."

"It's not feasible that one person was able to keep possession of all of those signatures and certify them," the mayor said.

As far as Boucher is concerned, the challenge doesn't go to the integrity of the petition itself but revolves around a technicality. The reverend, who is making his first run for office, said the mayor is just looking for a way to get him off the ballot.

"This is saying you don't want a primary."

Not true, Boonstra said. "It's unfortunate that Jeff is reacting this way... (but) there are rules that have to be followed. There's nothing wrong with double-checking.

"If anything, we're protecting the process of nominating candidates," the mayor said.

Township Clerk Joyce Santimauro, who received the filing petitions on Monday, could not be immediately reached for comment. Boonstra said the clerk could confer with township Attorney Robert Landel to determine the status of the objection, which will be vetted this coming week.

Boucher has conferred with legal counsel concerning the objection. Should his petition be invalidated, he vows to fight on. "We would definitely assess our legal options," he said, adding that a write-in candidacy could be possible should he be removed from GOP contention.

If the petition is thrown out, "it would change my view" of the township, Boucher said. "It would make me even more tenacious" in trying to win a seat on the governing body, he said.