Swanton Township woman is denied spot on ballot

8/10/2005

A would-be candidate for Swanton Township trustee won't make it onto the ballot because she forgot to sign her campaign petition.

Mary Solomon filed 38 signatures with the Lucas County Board of Elections, which requires 25 signatures to make the ballot. But elections officials rejected her petition yesterday over what Ms. Solomon called "an honest mistake."

A potential Toledo City Council candidate, D. Michael Collins, saw his petitions rejected last month for similar reasons.

Ms. Solomon and a potential opponent for trustee, incumbent Dennis Tippie, urged the board to let Ms. Solomon sign the petition after turning it in. Board members said the law prevented that and barred Ms. Solomon from filing another petition, even though the Aug. 25 filing deadline has not passed.

They said they would like to see Ms. Solomon on the ballot and encouraged her to run as a write-in candidate, which Ms. Solomon said she did not want to do.

"I don't understand why the law makes it so difficult to get on the ballot," she said.

Jill Kelly, director of the elections board, said yesterday that the county gives all candidates a checklist on how to complete petitions, including signing them. Candidates must review the checklist and sign it before filing their petitions.