Modern Orthodox Real Estate Developer Drops Bloomingburg Election Challenge

Scandal-plagued Modern Orthodox real estate developer Shalom Lamm has dropped his challenge to the election results in the tiny New York State Village of Bloomingburg.

 

Modern Orthodox Real Estate Developer Drops Bloomingburg Election Challenge
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Scandal-plagued Modern Orthodox real estate developer Shalom Lamm has dropped his challenge to the election results in the tiny New York State Village of Bloomingburg, the Times Herald-Record reported.

Lamm's attorney told the court this morning that Lamm was stopping his fight against opponents of his Satmar-only “shtetl” who challenged 121 new, largely hasidic voters from last month’s village election.

That should mean that Frank Gerardi, a staunch opponent of Lamm’s development, will have defeated incumbent Mayor Mark Berentsen, who is seen by locals as a Lamm front man.

"I've instructed my lawyer not to stand in the way of certifying the election," Lamm reportedly said in a statement that also wished Gerardi good luck.

This marks a change from Lamm's previous combative attitude that included largely unsupported claims of anti-Semitism.

Locals accused Lamm and Satmar of election fraud based on registering hasidic voters who did not really live in the tiny 420-person village.

Lamm’s Bloomingburg office and many of his local properties were raided by the FBI last month.

Update 6:22 pm CDT – Frank Gerardi has now been been declared the winner.

Judge Stephen Schick reportedly said Lamm and his supporters tried to "stuff the ballot box."

But that attempted voter fraud has failed.

Related:

All Bloomingburg/Lamm/Satmar Posts.

Comments

[ah-pee-chorus]

I wonder what his game-plan is now. He's certainly not going to give up on the plan to turn it into a satmar village.

[Bloomingburg Resident]

Someone had said the vote is every 2 years for mayor. I hope that isn't true because my thoughts are, he waited this long, what's another 2 years to win the fight.

[Ed B.]

Oh, the blissful irony of a David vs. Goliath fight being won by people who Goliath tried so hard to paint as anti-semitic!

I think this is far from over though. Lamm has too much money tied up in his project. Why would someone who stooped to buy politicians, rig elections (so poorly he didn't even show up in court to defend his own voting affadavit) and purchase half of the village of Bloomingburg stop now?

To the Satmar Jews who were caught up in this (and I doubt many of them read this blog), they now have an opportunity to get a fresh start in introducing themselves to the village. Who are we to say who can and can't live here? Or that there should or shouldn't be a Mikveh? I'm cool with it.

But please! Are you now convinced that we're not just part of a Jew-hating conspiracy? Is it not yet clear that a small, rural village determined to stay a small rural village might try to defend that centuries-old culture with no less zeal than Satmar Jews will aggressively protect their own archaic needs?

Let's focus on what we have in common now, in peace.