NEW CASTLE Candidate's petitions questioned by board

The election board found several problems with one of the nominating petitions.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- One candidate for the New Castle school board might not make it onto the Republican ballot in May.
The Lawrence County Election Board met Wednesday to determine if Anthony J. Latina could appear on the ballot after the elections director rejected his nominating petition. Latina's name will appear on the Democratic ticket. No problems were found with that petition.
School board candidates in Pennsylvania are permitted to cross-file in elections.
Elections Director Marlene Gabriel said Latina's Republican petition was defective because there was correction fluid on the space where the person circulating the petition signed his name.
Explanation: Latina of East Winter Avenue told the election board that he signed all of his petitions before getting them notarized and later realized that he had signed in the spot meant for the Republican who circulated his petitions. Latina is a Democrat.
All petitions must be circulated by a person registered to vote as a member of that political party.
Latina said when he realized his mistake in signing the Republican petition, he used correction fluid to eliminate his signature and had the Republican who circulated the petition sign in that space.
"It's just an honest mistake. It's my first time running," he said.
Elections officials, however, said they later found two other problems with Latina's Republican petitions.
Gabriel said Latina had written the wrong party name on the face of two of the three petitions that included his necessary 100 Republican signatures. Gabriel said two of the petitions that should have identified the names as Republican, had Democrat written on them.
Election board members said they will issue their decision Friday.