Judge unmoved by state representative's signature plight
State Representative Carl M. Sciortino Jr. says his nomination papers were sitting on his State House desk in late April. But by early May, they were gone - stolen, Sciortino contends, in an apparent act of political skulduggery.
But yesterday, a state Superior Court judge was not buying his excuse.
Judge Linda E. Giles denied the Medford Democrat's request that he appear on the September primary ballot even without the 150 voter nomination signatures required to qualify. Sciortino had kept papers with 72 voter signatures in his unlocked basement office of the State House. Giles noted in her ruling that he presented no evidence they were stolen.
"The court is not unsympathetic to the plight of Sciortino, the apparent victim of innocent, very human inadvertence," Giles said. "Nevertheless, the duty to keep one's important nomination papers safe and reproduced photostatically is not onerous."
That is, if your political opponents ate your homework, too bad. Sciortino said yesterday he will continue to pursue his case in court, noting that Giles's ruling was merely a rejection of his request for immediate relief, not of his entire case. "It is a setback, but not a closed door yet," Sciortino said of his failure to get an immediate injunction in his favor. With the loss of 72 signatures, Sciortino had only 114 of the 150 signatures required. If he continues to lose in court, his only option may be to run as a write-in candidate.
A 29-year-old gay activist, Sciortino first won his office by beating a veteran lawmaker, Vincent P. Ciampa, in 2004. His victory marked a major shift in the Somerville/Medford district that was once a blue-collar dominated district known for its gritty politics. A Somerville alderman, Robert Trane, has qualified for the Democratic primary ballot this year and would be facing Sciortino if he manages to get on the ballot or runs as a write-in candidate.
Jim Ogonowski, the state GOP establishment's favored candidate to unseat US Senator John F. Kerry, still appears to be falling short in his bid to get his name on the Republican primary ballot. State election officials said yesterday that the 28-year Air Force veteran from Dracut gained just three new signatures in the last several days, raising his total to 9,879 - 121 short of what he needs.
Tuesday is the last day for local election officials to count. Offices are closed Monday. State election officials say it is very likely all the city and town election officials have completed almost of their certification work. Another candidate, Jeff Beatty, has easily qualified for the ballot.
Ogonowski's failure to qualify would be an embarrassment for the state GOP and some of the major figures - including Mitt Romney, Paul Cellucci, and several US senators - who are backing him.
Ogonowski's spokeswoman, Alicia Preston, said the campaign is confident that when it collects all the nomination papers from local city and town halls, Ogonowski will have cleared the 10,000-vote threshold. After the local certification process stops Tuesday, candidates have another week to deliver them with Galvin's office.
"We are going to be just fine," Preston said. "There is a week and a half left. We will have the number we need."
