In the latest round of Republican infighting over the June 3 special election to replace former City Councilman Dennis Gallagher, party favorite Anthony Como is bidding to bounce his GOP rivals from the ballot.
Three objections were logged last week against petitions for anti-establishment GOP hopefuls Tom Ognibene and Joseph Suraci - all three filed by Como campaign adviser Justin DiSanzo, the Daily News has confirmed.
After hearing Como's camp had challenged the validity of his petitions, Ognibene branded it the "desperate" maneuver of a campaign "spoiler."
Suraci and political insiders called the objections a calculated strategy to strengthen Como's hand against Democratic favorite Elizabeth Crowley, who filed a whopping 5,887 signatures - more than Como and Ognibene's totals combined.
"If [Como] knocked off Ognibene and he knocked off me, then there wouldn't be a risk of Republican votes being siphoned away from him," said Suraci, a Kew Gardens lawyer.
The special election is nonpartisan, so it's a free-for-all among all candidates on the ballot.
Ognibene, a councilman from 1991 to 2001, has sparred with Como since the latter won the Queens Republican Party backing for 30th Council District race.
Como said reviews of Ognibene's petitions revealed he had signatures from unregistered voters or people who live outside the district - claims that, if true, could lead to those particular signatures to be tossed out.
In addition, DiSanzo charged that Ognibene, a Middle Village lawyer, has a history of filing less-than-acceptable petitions.
"When Tom ran for mayor in 2005, he didn't qualify for the ballot because of a lack of signatures," DiSanzo said.
Ognibene previously accused Como of using his pull as former Queens Board of Elections commissioner to gain a ballot edge at the April 30 filing deadline - a charge Como called "ridiculous."
The Como campaign was expected to back up its objections by Monday.
