« Ind. Courts - God and prayer continue in Indiana headlines | Main | Ind. Decisions - 7th Circuit issues one today, re Indiana employment at will »
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Ind. Decisions - Ind. Decisions - Even more on: Court of Appeals nullifies 2007 mayoral election
First, here is a list of earlier ILB entries on the Terre Haute mayor election.
Today Arthur E. Foulkes of the Terre Haute Tribune Star reports under the headline "Burke regrets not double-checking rivals' eligibility: Burke says he offered deal to drop litigation." Some quotes from the lengthy story:
Former Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke says he made a private inquiry into then-candidate Duke Bennett’s eligibility to run for mayor before the November 2007 election. In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, the former mayor also said he regrets not making a stronger inquiry.Bennett won the mayor’s race by 110 votes over Burke, who then challenged Bennett’s candidacy under the Little Hatch Act, a law that limits the political activity of people who receive federal funding. While running for mayor, Bennett was employed by the Hamilton Center, which receives federal funding for its Head Start program.
Prior to the election in 2007, Burke said he privately asked Galen Goode, the CEO of Hamilton Center, whether Bennett’s candidacy for mayor was a problem under the Hatch Act and was told there was no problem.
“In hindsight, what I regret now is not double-checking the answer I was given,” Burke said in a news conference in his home Tuesday afternoon. “I readily admit … Kevin Burke made a grave mistake by believing what he was told and not double-checking. I believed what I was told. I trusted the fact that Hamilton Center and its employees were in compliance. That was a mistake.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 19, 2008 09:12 AM
Posted to Ind. App.Ct. Decisions