Monessen: Independent candidate loses in court

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

A Westmoreland County judge declared an independent candidate’s petition to run for mayor of Monessen invalid Monday morning. 

Judge Harry F. Smail Jr. ruled Monessen resident Ernie Telegraphis’ petition to run as an independent in the November election is to be set aside because 19 of his 115 signatures are invalid.

Section 951 of Pennsylvania Election Code states: “No elector shall sign more than one nomination paper for each office to be filled, unless there are two or more persons to be elected to the same office, in which case he may sign nomination papers for as many candidates for such office as, and no more than, he could vote for at the succeeding election.”

Former Monessen mayor Lou Mavrakis filed the challenge in Westmoreland County Court after realizing that several members of the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee’s Region 3 branch had signed Telegraphis’ petition.

Region 3 covers Monessen, Sutersville, North Belle Vernon, West Newton, Rostraver Township and South Huntingdon Township.

Many of the signatures that are invalid were ruled as such because people signed Telegraphis’ petitions after already signing Mayor Matt Shorraw’s petition for re-election this spring, including Shorraw himself and several of his supporters.

Shorraw has since announced his intention to run a write-in campaign for the general election after having lost in the primary to fellow Democrat Ron Mozer. Mozer also won the Republican nomination and will appear on both ballots.

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