UES Assembly Challenger Sued Over NY Residency

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A young challenger for an Upper East Side State Assembly seat is facing a legal challenge attempting to knock him off the ballot over a dispute about his New York residency.

Incumbent State Assemblymember Dan Quart of the 73rd Assembly District filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court in late March alleging that his 22-year-old opponent for the Democratic nomination Cameron Koffman should be removed from the ballot. The lawsuit claims that Koffman doesn't meet qualifications for office that require five years of continued New York State residency prior to the election.

To back up the claim, Quart's attorneys cited Koffman's voting record during his time as an undergraduate at Yale University. Koffman registered to vote in New Haven, Connecticut in September 2015 and voted in November elections through 2018, according to Connecticut voting records. Koffman didn't register to vote in New York City until 2017, according to the lawsuit.

Koffman, who was raised on the Upper East Side, plans to contest the claims in court on May 5. Lawyers representing the challenger filed a response to Quart's lawsuit denying the incumbent's claims about Koffman's residency status in New York.

The candidate told the Daily News, which first reported on Quart's lawsuit, that the incumbent's legal challenge is "an example of corrupt Albany at its finest."

“It’s just wrong. We want young people to be more involved, more engaged," Koffman told the Daily News.

In a response, Quart called Koffman's voting record in Connecticut "concerning," and said: "Despite registering to vote in New York in October 2017, Mr. Koffman voted in Connecticut in November 2017 and November 2018, an action that – even by generous legal interpretation – amounts to voter fraud."

""The law is clear and it applies to everyone, even Mr. Koffman. I’m not surprised that the scion of one of New York’s richest real estate families, who is using his family’s fortune and connections to buy an Assembly seat, isn’t deterred by the law, but I am deeply concerned by it," the statement continues.

Two of Koffman's supporters also filed a lawsuit against Quart's campaign last week in federal court alleging the incumbent's attempt to have the challenger removed from the ballot is a violation of their rights, according to legal documents. Robert Tucker and Adam Sanders, who are being represented by the firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, claim they have no connection to Koffman's campaign but intend to vote for the 22-year-old because they are drawn to his youth.

"Quart’s attempt to disqualify Koffman’s candidacy actually and imminently threatens Plaintiffs’ fundamental constitutional rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to: (1) associate for the advancement of their political beliefs; (2) cast their votes effectively; and (3) enjoy equal protection under the laws," the lawsuit reads.

A hearing date for the federal lawsuit has not been set.

The young challenger with family connections to a real estate fortune — he's the grandson of LeFrak Organization tycoon Samuel LeFrak — is bolstered by impressive fundraising numbers. Koffman raised $449,323 between October 2019 and the end of the year, Politico reported in January.

Dan Quart, who has represented New York's 73rd Assembly District since a 2011 special election, is currently running for reelection and mounting a challenge against Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. in 2021. Quart previously dismissed Koffman's fundraising numbers in an interview with Politico, saying "the scion of the LeFrak family is trying to buy an Assembly seat."

Quart's background includes stints volunteering as a pro bono lawyer with the Legal Aid Society, representing low-income clients as a criminal defense attorney and eight years at the Community Board level before his election to the State Assembly in 2011. As a member of the Assembly, Quart has focused much of his attention on criminal justice reform. The lawmaker has backed policies such as ending cash bail, reforming campaign finance laws for DA races, decriminalizing sex work and ending surveillance-based gang indictments.

The Upper East Side's other State Assembly race is mired in similar legal proceedings. The city Board of Elections voted this week to knock incumbent Rebecca Seawright off the Democratic and Working Families Party ballot lines for failing to file cover sheets with her petitions and for failing to file the documents by the proper deadlines.