{news} In PA, you have to for justice, , to keep your ballot place..thanks to Democrats! .

[Green Party-CT]

              10/07/2006    Romanelli doesn’t have funds to pay court fees     BY ELIZABETH SKRAPITS
STAFF WRITER

          It’s not easy being Green, especially when you don’t have the green to pay for the fight that knocked you out of the Senate race. 


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    ');   }   //-->            Green Party member Carl Romanelli’s name won’t appear on the Nov. 7 ballot alongside those of U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and his Democratic challenger Bob Casey Jr.

To make the Wilkes-Barre resident unhappier, he has to pick up the tab for a court battle in which he said he didn’t even get to present his case.

“I shouldn’t have to pay anything at all.

“I didn’t bring this challenge, and I didn’t get my day in court,” Romanelli said. “Basic rights that murderers and terrorists get, I didn’t get.”

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Commonwealth Court ruling filed by state Democrats that keeps Romanelli off the ballot. 

He is angry he didn’t get the chance to argue that disputed signatures on his nominating petitions were legitimate, and to allege errors were due to a glitch in the Department of State computerized voter database.

To add insult, the ruling makes him responsible for $89,668 in court costs and lawyers’ fees, which Romanelli plans to fight.

It is similar to another Supreme Court decision in August that would-be Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader and his running mate Peter Camejo must pay $82,8102 in court costs associated with their unsuccessful attempt to get on the Pennsylvania ballot in the 2004 election.

Romanelli doesn’t know where he would get the money: he also has approximately $100,000 in fees to his attorney, Larry Otter, and still owes $25,000 to JSM, the Florida firm he used to help collect signatures for his petitions.

Cross Romanelli’s party off the list: the state Greens who backed him don’t have the greenbacks.

“We are not in a financial position to help with the sort of debt that has been incurred.

We wish we were,” said Pennsylvania Green Party spokesman Paul Teese.

The national party hasn’t heard from Romanelli’s campaign, said Scott McLarty, media coordinator for the U.S. Green Party. 

“I suspect Greens will be willing to pitch in, but until there’s a request, it’s too early to say,” he said.

“Santorum wouldn’t have put all that money behind Romanelli if they didn’t think they needed Romanelli in the race,” Casey spokesman Larry Smar said.

“The question is whether Santorum will ask for his money back from Romanelli, or ... pay his legal fees.”

When volunteers seemed to be flagging at the task, Romanelli said a few Santorum supporters stepped in with some funds to hire JSM. But Romanelli said he never accepted money from Santorum or his campaign in the past, and won’t in the future.

“They have no obligation to. Second of all, I don’t want to ask. I have never been a Santorum-funded candidate,” Romanelli said.

Santorum spokeswoman Virginia Davis said the senator’s campaign won’t assist with the expenses Romanelli incurred fighting the Democrats’ challenge.

“It’s a shame how difficult it is for someone like Mr. Romanelli, who has demonstrated a sincere interest in the process, to get on the ballot,” Davis said. “Bob Casey should be ashamed at the efforts he and his cohorts went to to knock someone off the ballot who is willing to debate, willing to speak out on the issues, and wants to be forthright with the voters of the Commonwealth.”

eskrapits at citizensvoice.com   

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