Right now, the City of Manchester is getting read the riot act. On what? Mark Warden’s complaint against the city/City Clerk for violating election statute for November 2019 ballot regarding the election of charter commission members.
That’s the inside scoop. The Judge is dissecting the city and its solicitor. We’ll learn more later, but for background:
Complaint against city of Manchester and Manchester City Clerk for violating election statute for November 2019 ballot regarding election of charter commission members.
House Bill 544 from 2019 passed into chartered law when the governor signed it on July 10, 2019. HB 544 requires the city of Manchester to establish a Manchester School District Charter Commission. The commission:
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I, Mark Warden, went to the Manchester city clerk’s office on October 7th to inquire about filing for the charter commission ballot. I was told by the office (confirmed by two people there) that the filing period had passed; it was back in July with other city officer election positions.
The city and city clerk directly violated the letter and intent of this law. I don’t know if it was done intentionally and willfully or not.
I filed a complaint with Wm. Gardner, Secretary of State. He agreed that by the clear reading of the statute, the filing period should be in October.
The city is losing, badly, by the sound of things.
You can listen to Skip’s interview with Mark Warden here. And, we expect an update tonight, or perhaps tomorrow.
