Middle GOP’s Hopes Dashed: Petition Fails for Five-Member Committee

COURT HOUSE — It appears Middle Township Republicans were unsuccessful again this year in putting a question on the November ballot asking voters to increase the number of committee members from three to five.
The Middle Township Regular Republican Organization filed the petition Aug. 13 and it was to be submitted to the county clerk by Aug. 24.
Administrator James Alexis read from a letter at the Aug. 20 committee meeting regarding the petition saying he deemed it insufficient. He reported that of the 963 signatures submitted only 737 were valid.
According to Alexis, 827 signatures were required, a number determined by taking 15 percent of the voters from the last general assembly election, but all needed to be by valid registered voters.
Alexis said signers were rejected for the following reasons: 90 were non-registered voters, 48 used incorrect addresses, 8 failed to provide addresses, 25 failed to provide signatures, 31 had non-matching signatures, 11 were duplicate signatures and 13 for other reasons.
Last year Republican leaders said they collected too few signatures because someone had given them bad information regarding the number required.
Robert “Budd” Springer, the Republican leader who spearheaded the petition drive both this year and last, asked Alexis and committee to reconsider their stance on the petition.
Springer said Alexis would not provide him with a list of signatures that had been disqualified, but the administrator said Springer’s attorney had just picked up the list at 5 p.m. before the committee meeting.
He said nearly 1,000 people wanted that question on the ballot and it would be unfair to ignore the wishes of that many township residents.
Springer, a Goshen resident, was joined by others at the meeting who echoed his sentiments.
A resident of Mayville said, even if signers weren’t registered voters, their voices should still be heard.
Sam Kelly, of the Middle Township Taxpayers Association, agreed that committee should allow the question to be put on the ballot.
“I’m not Democrat or Republican and I think this move will fall on its face,” he told committee, “but it’s obvious there are a lot of people behind it so you should let it go.”
Mayor F. Nathan Doughty is on record saying the petition is just a way for Republicans to try to get seats on committee, which historically has had a Democratic majority.
Republicans disagree.
“Middle Township is too big and too diverse to have just three committee members,” Springer told the Herald last week. He said there are 16 unique communities within the township and they deserve to have a voice in government.
When asked what he would do now, Springer said he and his group would go over the list name by name even though the petition drive has now been put to rest.
“We are now calling on committee to put the question on the ballot themselves as the governing body,” he said. “It’s obvious a lot of township residents want this.”
It seems unlikely, however, that committee would have the question put on the ballot considering the mayor’s reported comments.
“Then we’ll be making this a campaign issue,” Springer said. “There are at least 1,000 people in Middle Township who aren’t happy about this.”