Sciortino signature saga continues

In the latest twist in the 34th Middlesex House race, challenger Bob Trane, a Somerville alderman hoping to unseat openly gay Rep. Carl Sciortino (D-Somerville), accused his opponent of trying to deny him access to the ballot by challenging his nomination signatures. The challenge was filed by one of Sciortino's neighbors working with Sciortino's attorney, but Sciortino said he has had no role in the signature challenge.

Sciortino himself was unable to get on the ballot for the Sept. 16 Democratic primary after his own campaign failed to turn in the required number of signatures to the Secretary of State's office by the deadline. Sciortino, who claims several signature sheets were stolen from his State House office, went to court to ask to be reinstated on the ballot, but his request was rejected. He will be forced to run for reelection as a sticker candidate. (See "All politics is local," June 5). Trane rapped Sciortino for complaining about being denied a spot on the ballot and then allegedly working to deny Trane a spot.

"Rep. Sciortino, after having his hysterical claim of a Watergate-style theft of his nomination signatures repudiated by three separate independent judges, now seeks a desperate attempt to cripple my candidacy by challenging my certified signatures," wrote Trane in a statement.

Brian McNiff, spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin's office, said that a man named Paul Ruseau had challenged Trane's signatures. Ruseau lives in a building across the street from Sciortino's Medford condo and is being represented in his challenge by attorney Edward Colbert, who also represented Sciortino in his unsuccessful efforts to be reinstated on the primary ballot. Sciortino denied having any role in the challenge.

"We are neighbors and he actually asked if I wanted to join the challenge and I declined," said Sciortino.

Ruseau also said he filed the challenge independently of Sciortino.

"I contacted the Sciortino campaign to inquire if it would be interested in joining my challenge. They declined my offer," wrote Ruseau in an e-mail to Bay Windows.

Ruseau, who volunteered with the Sciortino campaign in 2004, said he filed the challenge as a matter of fairness.

"I think everyone needs to play by the same rules when it comes to something as important as holding fair elections, and I wanted to be sure that Bob Trane's signature-gathering process was held to the same strict scrutiny that Representative Sciortino's went through," wrote Ruseau. "It seems only fair."

Feargal O'Toole, Trane's campaign manager, said Trane believes Sciortino has a hand in the challenge, despite his denials.

"[It was filed by] a guy who just happens to live across the street from him," said O'Toole.

McNiff said later this month, at a hearing that has yet to be scheduled, both sides would go before the State Ballot Law Commission and present evidence to make their case about why some of Trane's signatures are valid or invalid. The commission must issue a ruling on the challenge by June 20. Trane filed 182 signatures that were certified by Galvin's office; if the commission invalidates enough of those to bring Trane below the required threshold of 150 signatures, he could also find himself bumped off the ballot.

Back in his first run for office Sciortino found himself on the receiving end of a signature challenge from longtime incumbent Vincent Ciampa, who Sciortino defeated in both the primary and the general election. The Somerville News reported that the commission dismissed that challenge.