ELECTION APPEALS MASTER
IN RE:
LAWANDA CLARK, MARK ROOT, JASON DEGAND, Protestors.
06 Elec. App. 050 (KC)
ORDER
This matter is an appeal from the Election Supervisor's decision 2006 ESD 284 issued May 30, 2006.
A hearing was held before me on June 12, 2006. The following persons were heard by way of teleconference: Jeffrey J. Ellison, Esq., Steven Newmark, William Broberg, Joe Childers and Deborah Schaaf on behalf of the Election Supervisor, Robert Block, Esq. on behalf of Local 330 and Dominique Romanazzi, President of Local 330.
Three delegate candidates at Local 330 assert that the Local's president and delegate candidate Dominic Romanazzi improperly received campaign services from the Local's attorney Robert Cervone in connection with the posting of campaign material on bulletin boards; that they were not informed about procedures regulating campaign literature distribution; and that they were not allowed to witness the mailing of the Romanazzi slate's political mailing.
The Election Supervisor concluded that Cervone's only involvement was to send a letter to an employer reminding him that all candidates had a right to post campaign literature on the work site bulletin board. Hence, this incident did not constitute campaigning under the Rules. The Election Supervisor's investigations further established that Cervone, who conducted the Local's nomination meeting and the subsequent candidates' meeting, properly reviewed the procedures and rights guaranteed to all candidates under the Election Rules, and made copies of the Rules available. Finally, the Election Supervisor concluded, under Article IX, Section 2 of the Rules, that the protesters were not entitled to witness the mailings of the Romanazzi slate.
The lack of cooperation by the protesters during the Election Supervisor's investigation was egregious and irresponsible. The statements of the protesters submitted on appeal are notable for an absence of any relevant evidence and a baseless attack on the integrity of the Office of the Election Supervisor.
The appeal is dismissed as being without the slightest basis in fact and devoid of any merit whatever. The decision of the Election Supervisor is in all respects affirmed.
SO ORDERED:
___/s/____________________
Kenneth Conboy
Election Appeals Master
Dated: June 22, 2006