Kerry Myers, Norco council president, removed from ballot after petition challenge
Kelly Keegan now the lone primary candidate in council's District 2.
Kerry L. Myers, president of Northampton County Council, did not survive a challenge to his nomination petition, meaning his name will not appear on the Democratic ballot for the May 16 primary.
The petition challenge was filed by Edward Keegan, a Democrat from Forks Township and member of the Easton Area School Board.
Keegan’s lawyer, Lawrence Otter, confirmed the Wednesday ruling by Northampton County Judge Edward D. Reibman. Myers could not be reached for comment. Ths post will be updated if he responds to an email inquiry.
The decision leaves Kelly Keegan, a Forks Township supervisor, as the lone Democrat on the ballot. Edward Keegan is her husband.
District 2 comprises Easton, Forks Township, Glendon, Palmer Township, Stockertown, Tatamy, West Easton and Wilson. No Republican is on the primary ballot.
Myers, 69, of Palmer Township, needed 250 signatures from Democrats in District 2 to be on the ballot. Keegan’s challenge said Myers’ petition contained about 310 lines of signatures.
Edward Keegan’s suit said 110 of them were invalid. Among the reasons: the signers were not Democrats, did not live in District 2, and the names were illegible or printed, not signed. Some were duplicates.
Otter said as soon as 71 names were determined invalid, the review was halted.
Kelly Keegan said the challenge was filed because she felt she worked hard to get nearly 450 valid signatures. When she saw Myers’ petition, she said she noticed signatures from people outside District 2.
“I did what I am supposed to do,” she said.
Myers is the first Black person to serve as president of council. He was elected to council’s District 2 in 2019 with 60% of the vote, defeating Republican James Fuller.
That same year, he ran for Easton Area School Board in Region 1 and lost in the primary. Myers was on the school board from 2007-2011.
Also, in Northampton County, a challenge was heard Wednesday over the petition filed by William Rowe, a Republican from Hellertown who is running for Northampton County Council in District 1.
Rowe’s challenge was filed by Steven Topp of Bethlehem over Rowe’s his alleged failure to file a statement of financial interest with Northampton County Council. Under the rules, he must file one with the county Election Division and one with council.
Otter, who also represented Topp, said no immediate decision was made in the case.
A hearing is scheduled for March 21 over a petition for the Republican ballot filed by Toni E. Lynch, a Bangor Area School Board Board member who has cross-filed, according to county court filings.
Lynch’s challenge was filed by Republican Caterina Campbell of Bangor over nine signatures that lacked required dates on his Republican petition. His hearing is scheduled for March 21.
He is among nine people running for five seats on the Bangor Area School Board in the Republican primary. His Democratic petition is not under challenge.
In 2019, he finished fifth out of seven candidates seeking five seats.
Campbell is represented by Bethlehem attorney Victoria Opthof.