Jim,
Colon submitted almost 300 signatures.
The challenge is coming from Robert Miranda's people (though the candidate, Laura Manriquez, is the candidate).
I think the only idiot when this is all said and done is going to Robert Miranda (huge surprise there) and Manriquez.
Miranda is a freaking nut.
Mike (Leon)
We'll continue to watch the challenge.
Meanwhile, another attorney* Mike Maistelman, the election law expert on the Democratic side, has been retained by State Senator Spencer Coggs in his fight against an "anonymous" complaint challenging Coggs' nomination papers. Maistelman's response to the complaint is that it cannot be filed anonymously, and that the complaint cannot be corrected for that defect because we are past the deadline for filing a sworn complaint.
The complaint is reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to have been dropped off by former State Senator Tom Reynolds and Coggs' Democratic primary opponent.
Maistelman also has hired a handwriting expert, Bonnie Schwid, supposedly hired by the complainant. This complaint gets its first test (and likely last) on Wednesday.
Reynold's candidate Nicholas Cosey is also facing being bumped off the ballot.
The State Senate Democratic Committee has filed a similar challenge against Cosey, alleging that 36 of his 404 signatures came from people who don't live in the Senate district, and that one is from an invalid address. The SSDC complaint includes an affidavit from City of Milwaukee Election Commission Deputy Director Neil Albrecht confirming the charges.
Finally, an update on Ruth Page Jones, a candidate in the Democratic primary in the 97th Assembly district. Wait a second, I have to cue the intro.
An Exclusive Wigderson Library & Pub 97th Assembly District Update: That's better. There was a question on Ruth Page Jones' organizational strength after she turned in only 237 nomination signatures. It was then pointed out that she turned in supplemental signatures the day they were due. I have since learned she submitted 24 additional signatures, probably just enough to keep her off the challenge block. Looks like she collected many of them herself.
Her opponent in the primary, attorney Steve Schmuki, turned in the maximum 400 signatures, as did the Republican incumbent Bill Kramer.
*All these Democratic attorneys, you'd think the trial lawyers are part of the Democratic Party's main constituencies.
** Mike Leon is not an attorney. I regret the error.
