Dear Mr. Riley:
This letter will serve as official notice that serious issues have arisen as to your qualifications as the Mississippi Constitution Party nominee for Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, a matter which will be subject to formal review by the State Board of Election Commissioners (hereafter "Board").
You declared on your March 1, 2007 candidate qualifying papers that you are a legal resident of Pontotoc County. However, it appears from records maintained by the Circuit Clerk of Pontotoc County that you are not a qualified elector of that county. A finding that you are not a qualified elector of that county could result in your disqualification from being on the November 2007 General Election ballot.
As noted earlier, you are hereby notified that the Board will meet Tuesday, September 11, 2007 to review the issue of your qualifications to serve as a candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, as well as to approve the official sample ballot for the November 6, 2007 General Election. The meeting will be held at 1:30 pm on the 19th floor of the Walter Sellers Building. You may attend the meeting and will be given five (5) minutes to address the Board. Furthermore, you may submit a written response in support of your candidacy, as well as provide any supporting documentation by filing that with Secretary of State at the above-referenced address. You are requested to provide such a written response by no later than the close of business on Monday, September 10, 2007.
Please contact me at (###) ###-#### if you have any questions regarding this matter.
Sincerely,
Willie C. Allen
Director of Elections Administration
The quote I found strangest was this:
You may attend the meeting and will be given five (5) minutes to address the Board.They are saying they may kick him off the ballot (a man who has lived in the state his entire life) due to a technicallity and he "may" attend the meeting?
Lester Spell, this is low, down, dirty, and desperate and shows the low opinion you have of your own re-election chances.
Why are you zeroing in on Lester Spell? Eric Clark's office wrote the blooming letter; all Spell did, unless elections are now considered an agricultural process (which they quite often appear to be), was file a complaint.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying he didn't do it, but where are you getting information that Lester Spell is responsible for this? I understand you have a conspiracy theory mindset, but show some proof of Lester Spell's involvement before you accuse him. This accusation is not based on facts or evidence.
ReplyDeleteFor all I know, Ricky Cole filed a complaint and then told you to point the finger at Spell. It sounds to me like two Democrats, Hood and Clark, are leading the charge to keep this guy off the ballot. Maybe they are trying to help their party.
My advice to Riley would be to lawyer up. After reading one side of the story, it sounds like he has strong grounds to fight.
Tom Head:
ReplyDeleteThe spirit of the law is to stop folk who aren't legal residents of the district from running for office.
His district would be all of Mississippi and I'd like to see an argument that he doesn't live in that district.
rpp,
ReplyDeleteYour post even sounds desperate:
"It sounds to me like two Democrats, Hood and Clark, are leading the charge to keep this guy off the ballot."
I hesitate to even dignify that with a response. That would be like saying Democrats led the charge to keep Nadar on the ballot "to help their party." Really?
What's it matter Spell is a democrat and Cole is a super-democrat. Riley is a political freak that scares the crap out of me.
ReplyDeleteIn reality if you're a conservative in Mississippi, you don't have a choice in this race.
The choice for Ag Commissioner shouldn't be whether they are conservative or not anyway.
ReplyDeleteI haven't found anyone who's met Cole who doesn't think he is capable of the job while Spell has proven himself incompetent and arrogant in his current position.
It's clear that Cole is the better choice.
This clinches it!!!!
ReplyDeleteLester Spell is a pure CROOK!!!
Riley deserves a chance to run, and this ploy is a feeble attempt from no other than SPELL!!!! He benefits from Riley being thrown out.
I've heard that he was a real politician, and more power to Riley for fighting it. What's right is right. Is ERIC CLARK, LESTER's hidden friend in a high place. At one point they were democrats at the same time in MS Politics, and quite cozy from what I hear.
This makes me sick!!!!!!!! The people have three choices for Ag Commissioner, and no matter how many friends or favors Lester has coming to him, I don't believe that he can do this.