Everything listed below is nothing more than "coincidence", no possible connections in showing any type of character flaw such as "Morals, Ethics or Integrity? No possible violations no matter what may be noted in State Law? No possible confusion with any responsibilities by any current City Employee entrusted with Election responsibilities?
1. Need to pay filing fee of $60 for a City Council Position. This needs to be done at time one files at Vienna City Hall. Review of Campaign Financial Statements for: Roger Conley, shows that at some period based on General First Report due 20- 26 Sept 2016 was apparently paid in the July/ August time frame? This based on no date of expenditure? For a person on his third City Council run, filling these forms out should be pretty easy? Why did I put third in bold lettering above? It was put out that it was only his second run in 2016. In 2012, he did receive an even 1300 votes. In his second run in a special election (2014), for Mr. Thornton's vacated seat, he received 468, not so well as Mr. Azinger the Elder swooped in and beat all other 8 candidates badly.
In the Pre-General Report due 24- 28 Oct 2016, nothing changes on format. Yet, in the Post- General Report, it has been moved to the top where it should have been all along, but still no date of when if ever paid?
2. For some of the other Candidates, Mr. Elam (also third run), and Mr. Leach who based on the above three (3) required reports for each did not even appear to pay their filing fees? I will note, that it is possible they did not have to pay as they were financially unable to do so and presented the appropriate Filing of Oath with the Council Recorder. IF this was the case, the Oath's were not in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response, that was used to obtain the information from the City. In the event a Candidate does request a Filing of Oath, than there is a requirement for the Recorder to have a Candidate obtain the signatures of 4 registered voters for each dollar of the Filing Fee; i.e. 240 Voters for a City Council Position. This paperwork was also missing?
Now I have been confused on what if anything the Council Recorder is responsible to do when it comes to issues on an Election? Seems accuracy of submitted paperwork is not important or even necessary? So why is it submitted to the Recorder if it is just going to be filed away and than forgotten? Are we again running up against the infamous West Virginia Law System of a lot of Laws with no teeth for compliance? And than to add to the above confusion was the stepping back and letting Mr. Rapp run the Ballot Position Drawing in last August on the 30th? Again, what was the Recorder expected to do? I would question possibly her job?
According to City Municipal Code: 103.14 APPLICABILITY OF STATE ELECTION LAW TO MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
The Recorder shall perform all duties as required by the Clerk of the County Commission and Circuit Clerk as in the case of State and County elections. The duties imposed by general State election laws upon County Commissions shall devolve upon Council, if not inconsistent with other provisions of this article. The Recorder shall be the chief election officer who shall perform such other duties as required by Ordinance and West Virginia Code 3-1-1 et seq., as amended. (Ord. 0-19-88. Passed 12-22-88.)
We seem to have this never ending problem with "connected" people in Vienna doing as they damn well please? I admit that I am not very smart; but I seem able to ferret out the requirements/ obligations to be a Candidate or an actually elected City Official?
Seems all required is send in a piece of paper, probably could be blank and it would be accepted if one was an anointed one? The more I dig and dig, the more obvious it is on how poorly governed this City was, is and will be for the foreseeable future. And remember, these folks are the ones responsible for the well being of the Community but have problems with simple forms?
Reminds me of how Elections are done in the Philippines. They too have the same basic series of events to conduct an Election. Polls even open up about the same, but there I believe it is more like 6 or 7 A.M. But to insure that the votes go well, people hear a knock on their doors about 3 A.M. or so in the various Subdivisions of the Barangay. They are given about 500 pesos which was about $10. at the time, for their vote. And to insure they don't wander off and vote the wrong way later, they have to dip I believe their index finger into a long lasting ink. That is to show one has voted and is even done for the "legal" voters. The Polls open at the right hour and all of a sudden, hundreds if not thousands of Ballots show up from their "early" voting session(s).
Here, I do not know what the folks got? Pretty sure no money or goodies "directly" changed hands and there was no ink on anyone's fingers, but the results seems to have ended up the same? I have said several times that anyone who voted for Mr. Rapp or Ms. Smith voted against the City of Vienna as a whole. Instead got swayed by a handshake while the other hand was in their pocket taking as much money as it could get. Called "Tax Dollars" and could be called legalized theft?
And I am very comfortable that this is not the worst of it. There are more damn shoes that are getting ready to fall than even I am totally aware off as I post this.
Now Mr. Conley also seemed to have no problem interfering with my right to run for office by either brow beating, harassing, haranguing and even partially lying to another party to get one of my campaign signs removed? This is in violation of my First Amendment Right to Free Speech in putting out my sign to run for a Public Office. And may I suggest yet one more of the "rappites" stunts to stop me while hiding what they were doing?
There will be more coming out in the next few days on the stunts being or having been pulled to circumvent just about any Law that the Rapp Administration and/or the rappites could seem to find?
It was said to me about two days ago (Thursday), that the early voting machines should never have been allowed in the City Building. I will say, I agree. 'nuff said'.