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Former GOP committee chair could face criminal charges
Updated: 7/28/2007 8:06 AM
By: Bill Carey
Robert Gardino
Robert Gardino
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- “I'm Bob Gardino. I am City Chair of the Syracuse Republican Committee.”
Robert Gardino was a party workhorse—one of those going door-to-door to get voters to sign petitions. This year, republicans helped coordinate the circulation of Independence Party petitions as well.
Gardino was there to help get that extra ballot line for top
Gardino may have forged petition signatures
It's a story that has shocked much of the Syracuse political community. News 10 Now's Bill Carey says a top figure in local GOP politics could potentially be facing criminal charges in a case of alleged election petition fraud.
Gardino was there to help get that extra ballot line for top republican candidates, but it all began to unravel when people took a close look at 20 signatures on a petition in the 16th county legislature district. There, Republican Kevin Kuehner was in line to win the Independence Party's backing.
On Sunday night, I got a call. In response, I went down to the board of elections Monday morning and met with the officials there and looked at the petition that had been filed on my behalf,” Onondaga County Legislature candidate Kevin Kuehner said.
The claim was that some signatures had been forged. Kuehner immediately declined to accept the petitions. Gardino, aware of the scrutiny, moved quickly to leave his post on the Republican Committee.
Onondaga County Elections Commissioner Helen Kiggins: They have to file a letter of resignation if they wish to be removed from the committee.
Reporter: And you have received one?
Kiggins: We have received a letter in the last few days, yes.
Reporter: From who?
Kiggins: Bob Gardino.
The heads of both the city and county republican committees admit they received the letter of resignation from Gardino, but refused to go beyond that in any comment. At one point, the county GOP chairman agreed to an interview, but later called back to cancel, saying it was an Independence Party matter, even though it did involve a member of the Republican Committee.
Republicans are scrambling to deal with the issue. A spokesman for County Executive candidate Dale Sweetland says there is disappointment over the Gardino affair.
District Attorney William Fitzpatrick's name was on one of the petitions Gardino carried. His office confirms a fraud investigation is underway.
Now, legislative candidate Kuehner has to settle for a write-in effort to get the extra ballot position.
“At this point, it's an open opportunity for either my opponent, me, or anyone else that lives in the 16th District to mount a write-in campaign for that line,” Kuehner said.
Gardino has made no public comment.
While there were enough signatures in question to affect the district county legislature seat, elections officials say Gardino was involved in collecting only a small number of the signatures for countywide offices, and any fraud should not affect republicans who've won Independence Party endorsements at that level.
