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The Cincinnati Beacon
Smithermania! The real BOE rules on the filing deadline
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
Lots of noise is still getting made about Christopher Smitherman—the latest being about the precise details of when, exactly, Smitherman would be considered an official candidate, and how that would impact the calendar of his ability to moderate NAACP meetings. The issue boiled down to the details of the clock, and the Hamilton County Board of Elections. If Smitherman paid his filing fee on the final day (August 23rd, the same day as the NAACP meeting where the membership will vote on whether to support the jail tax), would he immediately be certified as a candidate—and therefore ineligible to serve as president for that night’s meeting—or is there a turnaround time regarding the certification process?
I had previously reasoned that there must be some turnaround time. But that was just a guess. It seemed to me that at least 24 hours would be required to review documents and to insure that everything is in order. Turns out I was wrong.
Yesterday, I emailed the Board of Elections, asking about the turnaround time on the certification process:
I have a question about the filing deadline for City Council Candidates.
What is the turn-around time for when a candidate pays their filing fee, and when they are officially declared a candidate? Is it immediate, or is there a delay?
Specifically, I’m wondering if Christopher Smitherman—if he waits until the 23rd to file—is an official candidate immediately, or if it takes a day to confirm it.
Also, I’d like to double-check that the 23rd is the filing deadline.
Thanks,
[The Dean]
Here is the response I got from John Williams:
[Dean],
The filing deadline is the 23rd. When the candidates have collected signatures, paid the fee and signed the acceptance letter they are officially filed as candidates. The filing is official at that time, we also time stamp the petitions.
Mr. Smitherman, has not officially (filed) at this time.
Sincerely,
John Williams
So it looks like Smitherman cannot lead the NAACP meeting on August 23rd if he intends to run for Cincinnati City Council.
This begs some important questions—but more significantly it offers the chance to analyze the motives of Smitherman’s critics. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Smitherman has two choices: step down from serving as president, and miss presiding over the meeting where members vote on the jail tax; or, step out of the Council race so he can remain president of the NAACP during what could be a historically significant vote of the newly revitalized membership.
If Smitherman’s critics are honest, they will articulate—before the 23rd—which of those two options would be acceptable, and which unacceptable. That way, if Smitherman made the choice his critics think is the correct one, they would be forced to do the honorable thing and admit that Smitherman made a good choice.
Will that happen? Or will his opposition just bicker about anything he does?
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