By MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER

marcie@bradfordera.com

A legal challenge to signatures on the nominating petitions of Bradford City controller candidate Randall Turner has led to his removal from the ballot.

Turner, who currently serves as controller after being appointed by Bradford City Council, had been seeking the seat along with Michele Corignani, former mayor.

To seek an office in the City of Bradford, a candidate must have petitions signed by at least 100 registered voters of the same political party within the city limits. On March 18, Corignani, through attorney Greg Henry, filed a petition to Turner… page A-8 set aside Turner’s petitions.

The 16-page petition, with 30 pages of exhibits, highlights 22 signatures on Turner’s petitions that were “invalid.” Eight of the people who had signed Turner’s petitions had signed Corignani’s prior to that, which rendered the signatures on his petitions invalid, Henry argued.

In four instances, the signers of the petition did not live inside the city of Bradford. In still other instances, the signers were not registered voters, or were not registered Republicans. One person signed two of Turner’s petitions, according to Henry.

In all, Turner had turned in 119 signatures; 22 were removed, leaving 97, which was not enough to be placed on the ballot for the primary election, ruled Judge John Pavlock.

Turner may still wage a write-in campaign for the primary.