Courtroom Efforts Continue To Get City Commissioner Singer Back on Election Ballot
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia judge today heard more arguments over the challenge to city commissioner Stephanie Singer's effort to remain in the May 19th Democratic primary in her re-election bid.
If the judge removes her from the ballot when the hearing resumes next week, says she she'll appeal to Commonwealth Court.
Singer's attorney, Charles Goodwin, filed post-trial motions asking that 16 people whose signatures were struck be given the opportunity to tell the judge, through testimony or affidavit, why their signatures should be restored.
"They're qualified electors under the law," Goodwin says. "Commissioner Singer should be on the ballot."
Hundreds of signatures on Singer's nominating petitions were rejected, leaving her with only 996 of the required 1,000 needed to qualify.
Judge Joel Johnson repeatedly told Goodwin that this matter has gone five to six times longer than the 11 other challenges to candidates' petitions combined, and there was ample time to call those voters at trial.
In a hearing next week, the judge said he will allow Goodwin to question the handwriting expert hired by Singer's challengers. Goodwin claims the expert didn't properly prepare the report he gave the court on the approximately 1,100 petition signatures challenged out of the 1,530 that Singer submitted.
"The vast bulk of their objections were most likely made as camouflage, to bury the ones they were serious about, and to waste our time," Goodwin charges.
Attorney Richard Hoy, representing challengers, says Singer's legal strategy opens her up to losing dozens of additional signatures that the judge previously ruled as valid.
"The judge could reverse all of those signatures that he allowed in, and remove them, because they're opening up the Pandora's box," Hoy warned.
