David Riley

@rilzd

Republicans are mounting an effort to keep a Democratic challenger to state Sen. Rich Funke off the ballot.

Court papers filed by three local Republicans raised questions this week about whether Steve Glickman, a 27-year-old Democrat, meets the residency requirements to become a state legislator. Glickman disputed that claim Thursday and said he is confident a court will agree with him.

"This is a blatant effort to pressure me to withdraw my candidacy and for him to go unchallenged," Glickman said of Funke. "I refuse to give in to pressure tactics or intimidation tactics to drop out of the race."

An attorney representing the three challengers said Glickman does not meet two key requirements for a candidate for state Legislature: To live in New York for at least five years, and within the district for 12 months immediately preceding the election. Voter registration records show that Glickman lived elsewhere, attorney John Ciampoli said.

"My question: Is he going to say, 'That wasn't me, that was an alien who came down from Mars and voted?'" Ciampoli said. "Was it one of the pod people from Invasion of the Body Snatchers?"

Funke, 67, a Republican, is a one-term senator representing the 55th Senate District, which includes portions of Monroe and Ontario counties. He defeated Democratic incumbent Ted O'Brien in 2014. Funke seeks re-election on the Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform party lines.

Glickman turned in petitions earlier this month to run on the Democratic and Working Families lines. He turned in about 2,600 signatures, vowing to bring a fresh voice to local politics.

The challenge did not come directly from Funke, but three registered Republicans who live in the district. They filed objections with the state Board of Elections and also asked a state Supreme Court justice to step in and invalidate Glickman's petitions for both the Democratic and Working Families lines.

A state Supreme Court justice is expected to hear the matter on Monday in Albany. Phone calls to the state Board of Elections were not returned Thursday.

The objectors are Jack Moffitt, who works for the Monroe County Republican Committee; Silvio Palermo, a GOP town board member in Victor; and Zackary Laffin, a Republican registered to vote in Fairport.

Ciampoli is an election attorney who also has worked extensively on behalf of Senate Republicans.

He provided a copy of "voter profile" record that said Glickman was registered to vote in Washington, D.C., in 2014. Other records provided by Ciampoli say Glickman registered at a city address within the district in October 2015, then at an address outside the district in Gates in December, then back at the city address in January.

Under New York case law, these records are enough to show Glickman meets neither residency requirement, Ciampoli said.

The challengers also are questioning whether Glickman even now lives in the district. Sitting Thursday on the porch of a home off Park Avenue in Rochester, surrounded by campaign paraphernalia, Glickman said it should be clear that he lives where he is registered.

He declined to discuss specifics of his response to the challenge before Monday's court appearance, but said he has maintained New York state residency "my whole life."

Kamran Hashmi, Glickman's attorney, said only that his client "is a lawful candidate for the office of New York state senator, and I am confident that the court will agree."

Glickman previously told the Democrat and Chronicle that he is a western New York native who graduated from the University of Maryland in 2012 and moved to the Rochester area in 2015.

"We believe there may be reason to doubt Steven is eligible to run for Senate anywhere in New York, let alone here," said Jesse Sleezer, a Funke campaign spokesman. "We also believe in our democratic process and the rule of law, and we look forward to seeing courts determine if Steven is legally qualified to appear on the ballot."

The election is Nov. 8.

DRILEY@Gannett.com

Steve Glickman to challenge Sen. Rich Funke