Elections board ends registration of GOP operative

Matthew Bartow THE BLADE Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Larry Matthew Bartow, 51, an independent Republican Party operative in Lucas County, was removed from the county's voter registration books Thursday after witnesses testified that he has voted in Lucas County illegally since about 2006.

The Lucas County Board of Elections voted 3-0 to cancel Mr. Bartow's registration after a 90-minute protest hearing. Mr. Bartow was not present.

An ex-fiancee of Mr. Bartow said he did not live at 2005 Monroe St. at least since they moved in together in 2009. And Theresa Gabriel, the owner of 2005 Monroe, said that he had not lived there since 2005.

Kristi Kennelly said Mr. Bartow moved in with her at her previous Perrysburg address in March, 2009, and then moved with her the following year to her current address in Perrysburg Township.

She said they became engaged in August, 2010, but that she ended the relationship when he returned to the house after allegedly drinking one evening in November, 2011.

"I kicked him out," Ms. Kennelly told the board, showing them a Perrysburg Township police report on the incident.

Ms. Kennelly told the board that Mr. Bartow's marital status was another reason she kicked him out of her home.

Toledoan David Schulz, who brought the complaint against Mr. Bartow, submitted election data showing that Mr. Bartow voted nine times from 2006 to 2010 while claiming the Monroe Street address as his home.

Reached on his cell phone Thursday, Mr. Bartow said he was not aware of the hearing.

He maintains that, legally, he was a resident of 2005 Monroe until 2010 and that he hasn't voted in Lucas County since then.

Ms. Gabriel, who was assistant chief of staff to former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, said that Mr. Bartow lived in an apartment in her building in 2005 temporarily but that she told him the apartment was not available for permanent occupancy.

The board referred the information to the Ohio Secretary of State's Office and the Lucas County prosecutor for possible prosecution as election fraud, which is a fifth-degree felony.

In 2006, Mr. Bartow was placed on a three-year court diversion program after being indicted for theft for taking $2,330 from the campaign committee of Toledo Municipal Court Judge Robert Christiansen.

In an unrelated case, Mr. Bartow was accused of taking money from Mr. Schulz while Mr. Schulz was a candidate for council in 2005. The charge was dismissed in 2006.

More recently, Mr. Schulz accused Mr. Bartow of distributing illegal campaign literature and making robocalls paid for by former Republican mayoral candidate James Moody against City Councilman D. Michael Collins, a political independent.

Mr. Schulz's complaint is set for a hearing of the Ohio Elections Commission on Feb. 16.

The board's vote came despite indications that there was a glitch in the required 24-hour public notice of the meeting.

This newspaper did not receive its customary notice, even though the board's email and fax logs Thursday showed The Blade receiving both email and fax notification.

Deputy Director Dan DeAngelis acknowledged there were others who said they did not receive notice and said the board was working on figuring out what happened to prevent it from recurring.

Mr. DeAngelis said the board's lawyer, Lucas County Assistant Prosecutor John Borell, advised him the board's actions Thursday were valid, and he said that proper notification was sent to Mr. Bartow by registered mail.

Contact Tom Troy at: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058.