Protests lodged against Padgett, others
What Democrats said Friday they would not do, a Coshocton Republican declared Saturday that he will do try to stop Joy Padgetts bid to replace U.S. Rep. Bob Ney in the race for his 18th District congressional seat.
In one of three protests filed Saturday with the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections, Gordon R. Firman of 1101 Fairy Falls Dr., Coshocton, gave several reasons why Padgett, a Republican state senator from Coshocton, should not be eligible as a candidate for the Sept. 14 Republican special primary election.
Among the reasons are that Padgett entered the Sept. 14 primary after having lost in another primary within the 2006 calendar year. Firman says the constitutionality of Ohio law and other sore loser provisions have not been adjudicated in court action.
Firman also states in his protest that a severe conflict of interest has arisen since Ohios attorney general and secretary of state have given Padgett a favored and overly advantageous boost to her candidacy by their interpretation of the sore loser provisions, citing the fact that both are personal friends of Padgett and high-ranking members of the Republican Party.
The protest also states that an undue and unfair burden has been placed on the public and other candidates due to time restraints and lack of publicity information made available to the general public, in as much that it is not possible before Sunday, Sept. 20 Tuscarawas Board of Elections ruling(s) in regard to protests to allow due process in courts against the Padgett candidacy.
Protests also were filed before the 4 p.m. Saturday deadline by Susan Daniels of 702 N. Walnut St., Dover, against candidates Ralph Applegate of Columbus and James Broadbelt Harris of Zanesville.
Daniels, in her petitions of protest, cites the same sore loser provisions of Ohio law that Firman cited in his protest against Padgett. Daniels said that both Applegate and Harris lost in another primary in the 2006 calendar year, and that the sore loser provisions have not been adjudicated in court action.
The Tuscarawas County Board of Elections has scheduled hearings on the protests today at 8 a.m. in the board office.
Democrats last week had said that Padgett was not eligible to be on the ballot because of Ohio laws that prohibit losers in primaries from running in a general election and forbid candidates from running for state and federal office in the same election. Padgett lost the GOP primary in May for lieutenant governor.
Eight potential candidates had filed, but only seven had enough valid signatures to be certified to the Sept. 14 special primary election ballot by the county board of elections.
The remaining candidates are: Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen; Samuel Gerald Firman of Coshocton (Gordon Firmans brother); John R. Bennett of Cambridge, Neys Cambridge-based coordinator of veterans affairs; and Ray Feikert of Millersburg, a Holmes County commissioner.