Rochelle Park officials to attorney: Contact County Prosecutor about election fraud claims

ROCHELLE PARK — The township's attorney will alert the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office of election fraud allegations made against the mayor, a move officials hope will quell growing concerns over the legality of the candidates in this year's municipal election.

Officials and party insiders have alleged that members of the Democratic Party circulated petitions that did not identify a candidate for nomination, and later added candidates' names after residents signed the official forms.

But it remains to be seen if the move by the Township Committee, which approved the directive last week in a 4-0 vote, will sway investigators' opinions of the case, which had already been brought to them by political insiders.

Ex-Mayor Frank Valenzuela, who is the township's Republican Party chairman, has publicly accused Mayor William Hauser, a Democrat, of improperly handling his and his running mate's petitions, which are required to secure a place on primary election ballots, to seek the party's nomination for municipal office.

Read more: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/rochelle-park/2018/10/18/rochelle-park-nj-asks-attorney-follow-up-election-fraud-claim/1577600002/