Bad Judge

Saratoga County Family Court candidate accuses incumbent Courtenay Hall of stealing his signs and slogan

It’s not uncommon to see slogans created by one candidate usurped by another. One prominent examplei can be seen in the presidential race: Rather than attack Barack Obama’s push for “change,” John McCain has tried desperately to make the term his own. But Saratoga County Family Court candidate Kurt Mausert didn’t expect to have his slogan, “A Family Man for Family Court,” co-opted by his opponent in a race he had been told by many was insignificant in a busy political year.

Mausert said he is used to hearing that no one is paying attention, that no one cares. But Mausert, who copyrighted his slogan along with the rest of his campaign material, said he cares deeply about the race and about having his intellectual property respected.

In a statement, Rich Moran, Mausert’s campaign advisor, wrote, “Courtenay Hall, in his 32 years of legal experience, apparently failed to learn the lesson the rest of us learned in childhood: Don’t take things that don’t belong to you.”

Hall declined to comment and referred Metroland to his campaign chair, Jefferey Bagnoli, who did not return calls for comment.

However, Bagnoli told the Daily Gazette, “It’s like someone running for Congress saying it’s time for a change. It’s a common slogan,” Bagnoli said. “Kurt is really out-of-bounds with this kind of campaign. I’ve never seen a judicial candidate use such negative tactics, especially someone running for family court.” Bagnoli also said that Hall had used a similar slogan during his first run for the position years ago.

Mausert said that running as a Democrat in Saratoga County is a lot like running as a Republican in Albany County—the deck is stacked against you. Mausert said that he feels his opponent has been laying low, trying not to make any waves, to quietly be reelected.

Mausert has been making noise and pushing his platforms all around Saratoga County. He can be found during the mornings at the Saratoga Springs Farmers Market, handing out literature and talking to passerby about how he feels that Saratoga County—

one of the wealthiest counties in the state—should spend more money on mediation and amenities in the courthouse to keep victims of abuse comfortable and away from their abusers.

Mausert worries that Hall will confuse voters now that Hall is showing up campaigning late in the game with the same slogan.

And for a race with such little supposed stature, Mausert’s bumper stickers and signs have become common sight in Saratoga County. However, Mausert alleges that his signs are beginning to disappear in a mysterious fashion. He said that more than 45 signs have gone missing from Clifton Park in only three days’ time.

In May, there was controversy when the Saratoga County Independence Party endorsed Hall. Mausert claimed that the party had promised to invite him to speak at the meeting where the endorsement was decided, and then did not follow through. Mausert claimed the party chair was either “confused or corrupt.”

Hall is currently ahead in the race for the Independence line with an unofficial tally of 149 votes to Mausert’s 126. Mausert, however, said that he expects absentee ballots to tighten up the race.

“The primary race isn’t over,” said Mausert. “This race is amazingly close. Here is the context I view this in: He has been active in politics for years, he was the endorsed candidate and the incumbent, and the race is still close enough for me to whack him on the backside. This is an amazing result.”

In the end, Mausert said it may seem like a silly issue, but more is at stake than just a slogan. “Imitation is flattery, but it is also confusing to the voters. If our slogan made an impression and voters remember and like it, they may not remember who is using it. Confused voters means loss of votes.”

—David King