KINGSTON – Petitions in Ulster County Legislature races are being challenged and headed to State Supreme Court.

Candidates’ petitions to run for office in the November election, or face party primaries in September, will be decided by the courts.

In the new District 12, Republican incumbent Kevin Roberts’ Republican, Independence and Conservative Party petitions are being challenged by Joseph Eriole.

In the new 21st District, incumbent Republican Terry Bernardo won the GOP line, but will face Manuela Michailescu in the September primary. Bernardo’s petitions on all three lines were challenged by Jon Dogar-Marinesco, Manuela Michailescu’s husband.

Bernardo will appear on the Independence Party line. She did lose the Conservative line because of fatal defects in a number of petitions.

Dogar-Marinesco said he filed a lawsuit on Monday, challenging just one signature on Bernardo’s Independence Party petitions and he said if he wins, Bernardo’s petition will be one signature short and she would be bumped off that line.

Opportunity to ballot petitions are before the court, but the Conservative Party officials who are the committee to receive notices on the opportunity to ballot have filed a lawsuit seeking to have the request invalidated.

“The challenge is done and I have the Republican line in the primary and will appear on the Independence line in the general election in November,” said Bernardo. “The time has passed for them to challenge them.”

Republican Elections Commissioner Thomas Turco believes there is no Democrat running in that district.

In the new 20th District, Thomas Cotton won the Democratic line, but incumbent Democrat Hector Rodriguez will challenge him in a primary.  Rodriguez has the Working Families Party line, but an opportunity to ballot request has been made, which would allow Terence Ward to be a write-in candidate. He said Monday that his “values are very much in line with the Working Families positions.”

In one Kingston Common Council race, in the Ninth Ward, Republican Debra Brown's petitions are being challenged by Mark Halwick.

Turco said State Supreme Court is expected to rule on the challenges by the end of the week so that any appeals can be forwarded to the Appellate Court in a timely manner.