Troy

A city Democratic committeeman was arrested on a felony charge Thursday for allegedly forging three signatures on Working Families Party nominating petitions for Rensselaer County district attorney and a County Legislature seat, police said.

Anthony J. Isopo, 46, of Roosevelt Avenue, Lansingburgh, was arraigned before City Court Judge Christopher Maier Thursday for five felony counts of possession of a forged instrument and three misdemeanor counts of falsifying business records and released. He will return to City Court on Sept. 27. His attorney is Andrew Healey.

Isopo is scheduled to return to City Court on Sept. 27. His attorney is Andrew Healey.

City detectives arrested Isopo after receiving a complaint filed by Mary Pat Donnelly, the Democratic candidate for district attorney. Donnelly hired a private investigator to probe the circumstances of the allegations against Isopo. After conducting his investigation, he recommended that she go to the Troy police.

Donnelly of East Greenbush and Republican District Attorney Joel E. Abelove of Rensselaer face each other in the Sept.13 Independence Party primary for district attorney. In addition, Donnelly will appear on the Working Families Party primary ballot with Abelove supporters having an opportunity to write-in his name.

Isopo allegedly submitted a petition to the Rensselaer County Board of Elections with five signatures. Republicans contacted three of the people whose names appeared on the petitions. They said they had never signed the petitions.

Isopo submitted Working Families Party petitions for Donnelly and Carole Claren-Weaver, the Democratic candidate for a seat on the County Legislature representing Troy. Claren-Weaver faces County Legislator Kim Ashe-McPherson, the Republican candidate, in the election. Ashe-McPherson was appointed to fill the vacancy created when former County Legislator Edward Manny, D-Troy, died earlier this year.

The issue of fraudulent signatures recalls the 2009 Working Families Party primary, in which scores of voter signatures were forged on absentee ballots for Democratic candidates in Troy.