Commission winner asked
to respond
to allegations

• County Commission winner Ronald Gore was not present at a Board of Elections meeting where a complaint was heard that he harassed a Nakina Rescue Squad worker.

By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

A Nakina rescue worker was one of several individuals at a Columbus County Board of Elections meeting Monday night who was told her complaint involving allegations that Commissioner-elect Ronald Gore and his brother Jerry harassed her was not an official complaint.

Complaints unofficial

“Complaints must be brought on forms and filed within the time frame,” board member Frank Stanley told half a dozen residents who showed up for a Board of Elections meeting on Monday. “This was not done in this case,” Stanley said. He added that anything the board heard was for informational purposes and to help prevent future occurrences.

“There has been no complaint filed,” he reiterated.

“Why wasn’t I told that, that night?” Debbie Ward declared, pointing out that no one told her to fill out any kind of form. “I came to this meeting to bring what I felt I needed to bring,” she explained, adding that she also had filed a police report.

Board of Elections Director Carla Strickland explained that no election protest or election challenge had been filed. “The situation you were in deals more with conduct,” Strickland added. “The question the board (must) ask is, did that situation affect the outcome of the election?”

“In my opinion it does affect that,” Ward insisted. “It affected the way I voted.”

Election outcome questioned

“I have been on this board since 1991,” said Stanley, an attorney who explained he has read case law on the issue extensively. “You’ve got to be able to show with your complaint and evidence that this is going to change the outcome of the election.”

Stanley, who visited the site after the tent incident on Election Day, then asked Ward if it did.

Ward was uncertain. “No sir, I don’t have ESP — God didn’t give me that gift,” Ward said. “I came to the board with the understanding I was being heard. If judges didn’t follow guidelines they violated my right to vote.”

“Let me finish what I was telling you,” Stanley interjected, pointing out that he had represented clients in the past on cases taken to the appeals court in which a decision was made there may have been irregularities but there was no indication it made a difference in the outcome of the election.

“They can set buffer tape five feet and it’s okay?” Ward asked. “I don’t know that there is anything that can be done,” she said. “My department members took the brunt of it. If they (judges) can’t make decisions, they don’t need to be there.”

“What you have told us has not fallen on deaf ears,” Stanley said.

“If we can’t get (anywhere) here, you tell us what we need to do next,” Robert Adams said.

“These are legal issues that we as a board have to decide,” Stanley said. “We can’t tell you how to (file) your case.”

“What was going on behind the scenes might have changed the outcome of the election,” said Jim Hammond, who read about the Nakina and other incidents in the newspaper.

Ward insists there were several calls made to the Board of Elections throughout the day on Nov. 7. She said the buffer tape was moved after the incident, there was “misconduct all the way around,” and that Gore “came into the workplace and verbally assaulted” her. “Misconduct was allowed to go on, not just one time but on several occasions,” Ward said, asking the board what would happen next.

“Will it be public record? I’ve never had this happen,” Ward said. “I’m not into politics –don’t want to be. That’s not something I desire.”

Gore’s response

Board Chairman Jesse Graham told Ward that Gore would be informed that allegations are being discussed and he would be given an opportunity to respond. He said it would not be a public hearing but rather a public meeting and that the board may even consider calling a special meeting.

The News Reporter contacted Gore on Wednesday morning who said the situation had come down to a “he said, she said” situation. When asked if he intended to respond to the allegations before the board Gore replied: “I’m not.

“What I think the Board of Elections needs to do is, they need to talk to the people who were there at the polling location that day rather than get into a ‘he said she said.’

“I know I did nothing wrong. I never violated any election rules or guidelines,” Gore said. “No tent was in the boundaries flagged off.”

Gore said he talked to Carla Strickland, Board of Elections director, who told him as long as the tent was outside of the boundaries there was no violation, but suggested he get the squad’s permission to place the tent on the property.

“I was denied permission and immediately took it down,” Gore said, adding that he never intended for anything like this to happen. “I’m going to continue to do what is right,” Gore said.

“This is something that was blown out of proportion by Mrs. Ward.

“I don’t know why; I have my suspicions as to why,” Gore added. “Everyone there — those inside and out — saw and heard what happened,” he said, recommending the board talk to other people who were there.