Thursday, 4:30 PM
Newton elections director suspended over petition count
By Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent
Newton Mayor David B. Cohen put the city's election chief on paid administrative leave following a miscount of signatures that had shown petitioners short the number necessary to force aldermen to reconsider a key vote on the Newton North High School project.
The mayor acknowledged that city employees overseen by Peter Karg, executive secretary of the Election Commission, miscounted the signatures on the petitions.
"This is a very serious mistake," Cohen said.
Cohen's move came a day after an independent count of votes by Boston Globe West indicated that organizers of the campaign had obtained the needed signatures. The Globe found organizers had obtained at least 3,214 certified signatures – 522 more than the 2,692 needed to put the question to a ballot. The Globe’s count came from photocopies of petitions notarized by City Clerk David Olson.
Read more in Westword, the news blog of Boston Globe West.
