Lynn candidate vows to continue fight

LYNN – Council candidate Ariana Murrell-Rosario, who on Friday lost her second bid this month to get six fellow candidates yanked off the Sept. 17 preliminary ballot, vowed to continue challenging what her attorney called “improprieties” in city election procedures.Superior Court Judge Richard Welch wrote in a ruling that “the balance of harm favors the city” if candidates are pulled from the ballot at a time when city election officials are testing computerized ballot-counting equipment and sending out absentee ballots.As of Thursday, 175 voters who will not be in the city on Sept. 17 had cast ballots, according to city attorney James Lamanna.Attorney Andrew Cashman of Maine on Friday said Murrell-Rosario is “leaving options open” to consider appealing Welch?s ruling. But Cashman acknowledged the judge?s reasons for denying Murrell-Rosario?s preliminary injunction request.?He simply didn?t feel he was comfortable impacting the primary election,” Cashman said.Murrell-Rosario on Thursday said voters should “elect someone who is going to uphold laws of the city.”?You can?t have candidates on the ballot by trick or design,” she said.The Baltimore street resident is running for the Ward 4 council seat represented by Richard Colucci. She insists Colucci and councilors Darren Cyr, William Trahant Jr. and Brendan Crighton as well as council candidate Paul Crowley and School Committee member Rick Starbard “backdated” required notarizations on nomination papers they submitted to the city in order to meet a July 1 nomination paper filing deadline.She also claimed Colucci, Trahant and Cyr did not designate the ward they are running in on the petition section of their nomination papers. Colucci represents Ward 4; Cyr, Ward 3, and Trahant, Ward 2.All six men deny the claims Murrell-Rosario is making against them in her complaints. On Aug. 8, the city election commission ruled against Murrell-Rosario by upholding a Lamanna opinion stating that the city never adopted state law notarization requirements.City Clerk Mary Audley is commission chairman and, following Welch?s ruling, said she was glad the issue is over “and that the voters in Lynn will have the opportunity to vote for their choice of candidates on Sept. 17.”Chris Stevens contributed to this report.