Susan Peterson's win in the Flemington Republican primary is being challenged.
FLEMINGTON -- Susan Peterson's win in the Republican primary for Borough Council is being challenged in Hunterdon County Superior Court.
In voting on June 6, four people vied for nomination to two three-year seats. John Gorman and Susan Peterson were declared the winners, with Gorman getting 163 votes and Peterson getting 161. Alan Brewer followed with 156 votes, and Abraham Seckler got 131. Kim Tilly wasn't challenged in her bid for GOP nomination to a separate one-year unexpired term.
Brewer, Gorman and Tilly ran under the Regular Republican Party line, and they've joined in filing a petition for recount in the election.
The petition, filed Monday, says the trio "hereby contest the election of Susan Peterson, and the validity of the election." It sites ballot errors and questions Peterson's residency.
"Upon information and belief, there were certain errors in the recording and casting of the votes, irregularities or errors in the conduct of the election and valid votes that were excluded. All of which directly affected the outcome of the election," the petition states.
Hunterdon County 2016 primary election results
It alleges four grounds for a recount:
- "The County Board of Elections and County Clerk both failed to verify the address and determine the actual domicile of Susan Peterson who maintains a 'permanent' home in Hampton, N.J., prior to allowing her to register," the petition states.
- Legal votes were not counted among absentee, mail-in and e-ballots from overseas voters.
- Machine errors were made in tabulating and reporting votes by people living in another city in Hunterdon County.
- The rejected legal votes and accepted illegal votes were sufficient to change the result of the election.
"It was a fair election and I won," Peterson said Tuesday morning when asked about a potential recount. "I worked hard on that campaign. ... I have complete confidence that our County Clerk managed the election properly."
As for her residency, Peterson said she lives on Broad Street in the borough. "They brought my residency up when they first found out I was running," she said. "I've been living down here since the beginning of November 2015."
Peterson, owner of Teaberry's Tea Room in the borough, was the chairwoman of the executive board of the Flemington Business Improvement District when she filed for the primary in March. She has since resigned from the BID board.
Peterson said she's looking forward to the election and winning a seat on the Borough Council. "I can't wait to get involved again and get the town moving forward," she said Tuesday.
Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find NJ.com on Facebook.