Following a City Council request from the previous week, City Manager Tom Ambrosino transmitted a letter to the Secretary of State’s Office on Dec. 1 requesting an examination of alleged “irregularities” surrounding the Nov. 3 City Election.
During conversations with City Clerk Debbie Clayman, Ambrosino found no substantial election issues, yet he moved forward with the Council’s directive.
Ambrosino stated: “fblikebutton_button” “They asked me to send a letter and I have no problem doing that. Typically, if the Council asks for something within reason, I’ll do it. There’s nothing unusual about allegations of election irregularities. It seems like a reasonable request. I also want the Secretary of State to know our local election officials here looked into this and didn’t think that they found anything extraordinary.”
In his correspondence to Attorney Michelle Tassinari at the Secretary of State’s Office, Ambrosino outlined the Council’s formal request for state-level review to determine whether investigation was necessary. The letter conveyed the Board of Registrars’ assessment through the City Clerk: “fblikebutton_button” “(City Clerk) Clayman believes strongly that none of the complaints which the Board of Registrars received involved any material violations of election laws, nor did the alleged conduct infringe in any way on the rights of voters or candidates. Nonetheless the City Council has approved a motion formally requesting that your office take an independent look at these issues. If your office does decide to make any inquiries into this matter, City Clerk Clayman and I are available to provide you with whatever information or assistance you require.”
A vote of 6-3 passed the Council order at its recent meeting.
Councillor Clifford Cunningham sponsored the order, which addresses contentious campaign conduct by Chelsea Collaborative employees who manage two voter initiatives in the city. Political divisions have sharpened over disagreement about whether boundaries were violated, with some contending the campaigners exercised their Constitutional rights on personal time while others dispute this interpretation. Racial dimensions of the controversy have intensified the debate.
Cunningham had previously detailed his concerns to Clayman in a comprehensive inventory of specific incidents.