A VERY concerned Fluvanna citizen, called Roxanne Browning-Sprouse, the Voter Registrar in Palmyra, on Wednesday, August 22, the day AFTER the Tuesday, August 21 FINAL deadline for Board of Supervisor candidates to file their REQUIRED "Statement of Economic Interests" form with the Registrar's office.
According to a booklet provided by the State Board of Elections to all new candidates for office, "Becoming a Candidate for Local Office in November 2001," the ONLY exemption for filing this required form is for INCUMBENT candidates who are running again for the position they ALREADY hold--Mel Sheridan and Don Weaver (because as present Board members they already have the form on file in the County Administrative Office). All NEW candidates Bill Anderson, Norma Hutner, and Patrick Kershaw MUST file this form with the Registrar by the DEADLINE of AUGUST 21. The booklet alsostates that "any person who fails to file all the required forms by thedeadline SHALL NOT have his name printed on the November ballot." So, on August 22, the citizen called Roxanne to request copies of all the candidates' "Statement of Economic Interests" forms. She said she would make the copies for her and she would come in the next day to pick them up. On Thursday, August 23, she went to pick up the copies and all she was given were copies for Patrick Kershaw and Norma Hutner. Roxanne said Bill Anderson did not have to file the form with her because as a member of the Planning Commission he already had the form on file in the County Administrative office, the same as Mel Sheridan and Don Weaver as Board members. The citizen went to see Alice Jones, County Admin. secretary and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, and she did give out copies of the "Statement of Economic Interests" forms for Mel Sheridan and Don Weaver, but she said that she did not have that form for Bill Anderson because as a member of the Planning Commission the ONLY form he was required to file with the County office was the "Disclosure of Real Estate Holdings," a copy of which she did give . She did not have the complete "Statement of Economic Interests" for Bill Anderson because it simply is not required of Planning Commission members.
On Monday, August 27, the citizen went back again to Roxanne (with another citizen accompanying as a witness) to inquire and request a copy of the required "Statement of Economic Interests" for Bill Anderson. Roxanne was out sick, but her assistant, a Ms. Higden, I believe/but not sure, said there was no such form in Mr. Anderson's file. The two citizens then went straight to Jeff Haislip's (Commonwealth Attorney) office and spoke directly to him about this serious concern that the Registrar did not have all the required filings for a candidate for Board of Supervisors. He said he would "look into it."
The next day, on Tuesday, August 28, (with three more citizens as witnesses) they went to the Registrar's office to express deep concern about this situation regarding a candidate not having filed the proper forms required by law for candidacy. She said once again that Bill Anderson's form was in the County office. When Roxanne was told that Alice Jones had said that she did not have Mr. Anderson's form and he had not been required to submit it, Roxanne said they needed to get a signed statement from Alice attesting to that fact. They went back down to Alice's office, who was at lunch, where a note was left on her desk requesting a written statement attesting to her not having the form for Mr Anderson. The concerned citizens went back to Alice's office at 1:30 and were given a written statement stating that she did not have the required form for Mr. Anderson, (who by the way was sitting in her office!) but she had included a statement that said she understood that Mr. Anderson had been granted an extension to submit the form to the Registrar. She said she did not know who had granted the extension.
They then went back to Roxanne, the Registrar's office, and inquired as to who had granted the extension. Roxanne then gave them a copy of a memo she had just received by fax from Jeff Haislip stating that he had just this morning spoken to Lorraine Thompson, at the State Board of Elections, and that because he told her that Bill Anderson did have the form on file in the County office (which Alice Jones has stated in writing that HE DID NOT), Ms. Thompson has now granted Mr. Anderson an extension of NO LATER than the morning of Wednesday, August 29.
The concerned citizens then went to Jeff Haislip's office to inquire why he told the State Board of Elections that Mr. Anderson had filed the form with the County office when in fact that was untrue, his secretary said he had gone home sick.
The citizens will go back to the Registrar's office at 11:59 a.m. on August 29 and ask for a copy of Mr. Anderson's WEEK LATE "Statement of Economic Interests" form.
The citizens were only trying to seek truth and justice. Is that what they found? I think not! Justice as justice can only be in the bowels of the dark side of Fluvanna. |
