Ann Arbor clerk's office questioning irregularities in signatures turned in by 3rd Ward City Council hopeful
Ann Arbor City Clerk Jacqueline Beaudry said tonight her office still is reviewing signatures turned in by 3rd Ward resident Marwan Issa to see if he can run for City Council.
Issa is hoping to compete against Democratic incumbent Stephen Kunselman and challenger Ingrid Ault in the Aug. 2 primary, but due to irregularities with nominating petition signatures he filed today, he hasn't been cleared to have his name appear on the ballot yet.
In a number of instances, Beaudry said, signatures turned in by Issa did not match the signatures the clerk's office had on file for those voters.
"We checked them all and any that did not match the signature on file were disqualified," she said. "We disqualified many signatures because they did not match what was on file."
Issa said he's not sure why the signatures aren't matching up, but he hopes to have the issue resolved in the next couple of days so he can officially begin campaigning.
"It could be like somebody scribbled their signature," he said. "If they don't want to accept it, that's OK. There's still next year. I'm still young."
Beaudry said there's an entire page submitted by Issa that the clerk's office has questioned because of a number of "wrong signatures" that seem to be in a cluster.
Issa told the clerk's office he didn't personally circulate that page — he had someone else do it — but he signed it as the circulator, so the entire page may be disqualified, Beaudry said.
"I think he's just a few short," she said. "It's just whether that page will count."
Issa, 27, is the technology director at Global Education Excellence in Ann Arbor and is the founder of a startup company called School Wide Solutions.
He received a master's degree in information from the University of Michigan in 2006 and completed his Ph.D. studies in technology at Eastern Michigan University in 2010.
Issa said he doesn't know the incumbent personally, so he isn't running to oust anyone necessarily. But he does think the City Council has made some poor choices in recent years, and he believes continued cuts to the police and fire departments are unwise.
"Ann Arbor is a gem," he said. "One reason people come to live in Ann Arbor is because of the safety and security. If you threaten that, that's a huge issue."
A lifelong resident of Ann Arbor, Issa also said he thinks there's a deep-rooted "us versus them" attitude between the city and the university and he would work to build bridges. He also thinks the city could be doing more to attract and retain businesses.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
guide42
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 1:51 p.m.
Anyone who has circulated a nominating petition will know that the following statement from the article is basically an admission to having committed a misdemeanor. Underneath the signatures at the bottom of the petition there is a statement that the circulator must sign his/her name to, certifying that everything in that statement is true. Basically, that statement says that to the best of your knowledge everyone who signed is a registered voter of that ward and that you witnessed each signature on that page. Underneath that statement in bold letters, highlighted by a box, is a warning that it is a misdemeanor to sign as the circulator if any portion of that statement is untrue. This should be investigated and prosecution should follow. "Beaudry said there's an entire page submitted by Issa that the clerk's office has questioned because of a number of "wrong signatures" that seem to be in a cluster. Issa told the clerk's office he didn't personally circulate that page — he had someone else do it — but he signed it as the circulator, so the entire page may be disqualified, Beaudry said." I
Roadman
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 4:22 p.m.
Agreed. The circulator is the actual person who procured the voter signatures. I have run for office and had circulators turn in petitions but forget to sign the circulator signature line. Unless I knew the identity for sure who circulated that petition sheet and that person was willing to sign it I discarded the sheet. If Dr. Issa certified himself as the circulator when he did not actually procure the signatures, he committed conduct that was arguably a misdemeanor, although it is possible he did not realize he was doing something improper so the City Clerk may give him a pass and not refer the matter for criminal prosecution. There have ben a number of criminal investigations for similar behavior, such as the Andy Dillon recall petitions.
InsideTheHall
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 10:06 a.m.
It certainly appears the young man and one or more of his supporters cheated. Character is what you do when no one else is watching. He fudged signatures. We need people in government with the highest ethical standards as a prerequisite.
Roadman
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 4:27 p.m.
Having run for office, I can say that campaign staff screw up petitions all the time. It is possible something illegal was done that Dr. Issa was not aware of in the procuring of signatures. It is possible that signatures that did not match were still validly executed by the correct voter. I would hope that a conclusive investigation will be done to find out what happened so this cloud will not continue to hang over Dr. Issa.
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 1:10 p.m.
That's a strong conclusion to draw from a news article that provides a very modest amount of information. Either your powers of deduction are outstanding or your need to moralize is insatiable.
hatim Elhady
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 8:29 a.m.
I wouldn't go as far as jumping to the conclusion of "fraud" on Marwan's part, just being a bit overly enthusiastic about running can cause a candidate to misread simple instructions. There are quite a few legitimate reasons for such a thing to occur. I believe the CC would just have him submit a new set of signatures. From my what I know of the two, Kunselman is a great person and council person and Marwan is a highly driven and intelligent person who knows Ann Arbor government. Great council candidates such as these two allows Ann Arbor to remain a wonderful city to live in. Can't wait for the campaigning to begin!!
Roadman
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 4:32 p.m.
Kunselman is a great council member, although I feel kinda diappointed if Issa gets bumped from the ballot over this snafu.
CincoDeMayo
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 7:12 a.m.
Stephen Kunselman is one city council person that I think is not afraid to ask questions. Overall he is grounded and sensible. I am counting on him to oppose the proposed cuts to the police and fire departments. I admire the Issa Family's drive and business acumen, but I am counting on Kunselman, not this particular Issa, to support our safety services.
Jay Thomas
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 4:26 a.m.
Are they going to investigate or just make him get more signatures? Sounds like fraud to me...
Roadman
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 4:29 p.m.
I do not know how he will have the opportunity o obtain more signatures if the deadline was yesterday.
Roadman
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:12 a.m.
Marwan Issa's family operate a number of businesses locally, including Ahmos and Ali Baba restaurants as well as janitorial services and a hair salon in Pittsfield Township. The Issa family are Palestinian immigrants from the West Bank and have made sizeable contributions to the campaign coffers of Mayor Hieftje. If he has a PhD you would expect him to be smart enough to circulate and certify a nominating petition properly, though.
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 1:07 p.m.
As one myself, I can tell you there is no guarantee that recipients of PhDs are any less boneheaded than anyone else. PhDs are more about doggedness than brilliance, and I feel like in many ways I came out dumber than I was when I started.