The biggest story of the 2011 mayoral election since the candidates filed earlier this month has been the lawsuits.
As we’ve followed on The Range all week, both Democratic candidates for mayor have had their candidacies challenged, although Marshall Home’s challenge to attorney Jonathan Rothschild is certainly far more frivolous than the Democrats’ challenge to Home’s candidacy.
And Democrats have already signaled that they’ll be challenging the nomination petitions turned in by Republican Shaun McClusky and independent Pat Darcy.
Democrats have been less interested in challenging Republican Ron Asta.
But Asta may face a challenge, nonetheless.
Jessica Reeves Foster says she plans on reviewing Asta’s petitions and challenging his candidacy. Asta needed 1,060 signatures and turned in just 1,205, leaving him with a thin cushion.
Foster is the sister of Jennifer Reeves, an 18-year-old woman who was killed in 1994 after Asta ran a stop sign and crashed into the pickup truck Reeves was driving.
The story of the traffic accident threatened to torpedo Asta’s campaign earlier this year. After press accounts of the accident, Asta ran TV ad asking if he should stay in the race. About 100 people said he should quit, while about 30 said he should stay in, according to Asta, who decided to remain in the race.
Foster says she’s not as angry about Asta’s candidacy as she was when he first announced his plan to run, but the TV ad still upset her.
“The most appalling thing was his commercial and pointing the finger at Jennifer and saying she was speeding, instead of just saying that he was involved in an accident and he was sorry,” Foster says.
We’ll have more in next week’s print edition.
This article appears in Jun 9-15, 2011.
Leave him on the ballot and spend the next 4 months humiliating the hell out of him. That would do more to end his political ambitions forever than booting him off the ballot would
Ya think there just might be some need for the lady in question to “get over it?” The police didn’t arrest Ron Asta. He was charged with no crime. However, that isn’t good enough for some, oh no, they will try to convict him in the “Court of Public Opinion.” Sad and pathetic people. Hey, it’s been what – 17 YEARS?
Dan, try living without a loved one for 17 years when that person’s life was taken by someone that clearly did all he could to avoid getting caught and shows no real remorse. Asta tried to ignore that the event ever occurred when he first announced, instead focusing on steak-gate. When it all came to light, he tried to push blame on the victim. And based on his driving record since that wreck, he didn’t learn his lesson. It is amazing he hasn’t killed anyone else!