I think my alternate title for this posting is "District 34 Side-Stepping." Everyone. Except Barbara.
After Barbara Osborn Kreamer filed her recent complaint about the candidate's actual residence location (this is my voting district), Art Helton was served. Guess where? Not where he claims new residency status, but... where he says he ain't. LOL!
So how did he actually get to register this time without doing what he was required to by the Board? Huh? Enquiring minds like to know this stuff. Screw-up number One. And a biggie at that.
The new judge may throw out the last decision based on this alone. Then that reopens the case with Helton now required to prove not only that he has taken up a new residence, but has actually abandoned the old. Ah, let the good times roll.
Will all this actually remove his name from the ballot with such a short time remaining? Or will it happen post-primary and possibly hand the election to the Republican opponent- Nancy Jacobs? Republicans must be cheering on this one. Heck, they should come up with the legal fees & some donations here.
Here is the Dagger Press article with pics and quotes. Osborn declined to be interviewed, but the two Democratic candidates in the upcoming Primary sure didn't.
Roval Washington did a neat little side-step by claiming total ignorance as to what's been going on regarding all this after his initial loss. Yeah. Right. Whatever. All this translates into I can't raise enough moola to do this right- like hire a lawyer. If he had, likely this would all be history now and Helton's name might well be off the ballot. However, it's a wise political move. Play the game behind the scenes and get someone else to do your dirty work for you. Ahhh, ain't I clean & pretty. I'm not actually faulting him here, just pointing it out. He could have continued his legal fight, but chose not to.
Then there are former State Senator's Helton's comments. These are quite similar to others he made previously regarding candidate Washington. In logic they would be termed "ad hominem" fallacies (hey, I went to Washington College & took logic). This is also referred to as distract, distract, distract- or- side-stepping. Then maybe you'll forget the main point. Blah, blah, blah. Ain't Barbara a bad girl- give her a spanking. He also issues more comments about his opponent- yadda, yadda, yadda.
No one is exactly taking the high road here- except Osborn. Really, what has she to gain? Heck, just the filing cost her $. Not much that I can see, but a continued fight for "truth, justice, and the American way." Would I do the same? Would you? I'd certainly think twice about it- and a lot more times. Especially after my car had been damaged beyond repair shortly after testifying in the first hearing (yeah, right, coincidence). Or maybe that's just it. I've been bullied long enough and "I'm just not going to take it any more!"
Here is the actual complaint regarding the residency status of A. Helton that was served:
BARBARA OSBORN KREAMER * IN THE
Complainant * CIRCUIT COURT
V. * FOR
ARTHUR HENRY HELTON, Jr. * HARFORD COUNTY
Respondent * MARYLAND
Case No.
* * * * * * * * * * *
COMPLAINT FOR CHANGE OF VOTER REGISTRATION
AND DISQUALIFICATION OF CANDIDACY
NOW COMES THE COMPLAINANT, Barbara Osborn Kreamer, of Aberdeen, Maryland, to pray This Honorable Court to declare the voter registration of the Respondent, Arthur Henry Helton, Jr., of Darlington, the Respondent, invalid on the basis of failure of domicile, to restore his registration to his actual domicile and to disqualify the Respondent’s candidacy for the Senate of Maryland from the Thirty-fourth District (34th) for lack of residency based on said failure of domicile and offers as reasons therefor:
1. The Complainant is a former Harford County Councilwoman representing District E and a former Delegate to the Maryland General Assembly representing the Thirty-fourth District, and the Complainant was elected to the Democratic State Central Committee for Harford County in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
2. The Complainant resides, is domiciled in and is a registered voter in the City of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland.
3. The City of Aberdeen is in the Thirty-fourth Legislative District for purposes of electing members of the Maryland General Assembly.
4. The boundaries of the Thirty-fourth District do not include Darlington, Maryland, which is in the Thirty-fifth District.
5. The boundaries of the Thirty-fourth District include Joppatowne, Maryland.
6. A candidate for office for the Maryland General Assembly is required to be a registered voter within the legislative district that he or she files to represent for at least six months prior to election.
7. The Respondent is a former Harford County Council Member representing District E and a former Senator to the Maryland General Assembly representing District 34.
8. The Respondent is domiciled at 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington, Maryland.
9. The Respondent has been domiciled at 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington, Maryland since at least 1992.
10. The Respondent’s wife, Ann C. Helton, from whom he is not separated, has been domiciled at 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington since at least 1992.
11. The Respondent’s wife changed her voter registration from 3069 Harmony Church Road, where she had been registered for more than ten years and where she continued to reside and be domiciled, to 247 Fountain Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland in January, 2002, when her husband ran for the Senate of Maryland from the Thirty-fourth District, and then she changed it back again to Harmony Church Road in November, 2003 after he lost the election.
12. The Respondent has changed his voter registration while residing at 3069 Harmony Church Road in order to pursue a succession of political objectives.
13. First, although he continued to reside and be domiciled at 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington, he changed his registration in January, 2002 to 247 Fountain Street,
Apartment C, Havre de Grace, Maryland in order to file a candidacy and run for the Senate of Maryland, an election which he lost.
14. Second, while continuing to reside and be domiciled at 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington, the Respondent changed his registration to 119 West Bel Air Avenue, Aberdeen in November, 2003. The structure at 119 West Bel Air Avenue contains no living quarters; it is a one story building used as a pharmacy. Senator Helton did not live or work there.
15. Municipal elections in Aberdeen were held in November, 2003.
16. Third, the Respondent, while continuing to reside and be domiciled at 3069 Harmony Church Road, changed his registration in January, 2006 to an address on Parke Street where he maintains an office; the office does not contain living quarters. There was some confusion about whether the property that he owns containing the office and the place that he claims for voter registration is at 8 North Parke Street or 8 South Parke Street, but clarification was later achieved to designate the address as 8 North Parke Street.
17. Respondent’s wife was a candidate for County Executive in 2006; her place of registration remained 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington, Maryland.
18. The Respondent wrote an e-mail to Complainant on Sunday, September 30, 2007 saying that he had a variety of properties, any one of which he could claim as his residence.
19. After admonishing the Respondent to reconcile his voter registration with his domicile of 3069 Harmony Church Road and cautioning the Respondent not to vote in the 2007 municipal election in Aberdeen and ascertaining that the Respondent failed to move his registration before the books closed preceding the Aberdeen municipal election, the Complainant filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections.
20. Said complaint was received at the State Board on November 6, 2007 and delegated to Judith A. Armold, who rendered an opinion on December 17, 2007, which opinion was adopted by the State Board of Elections and posted on their website.
21. The opinion required that “any future application for a change in Sen. Helton’s voter registration address should be supported by clear evidence of a permanent intent to reside elsewhere”.
22. The Respondent did not provide additional clear evidence when he applied to change his voter registration yet again on February 27, 2009. Respondent applied to move his voter registration to 110 Ravenswood Court, Joppatowne, Maryland.
23. Respondent continued to reside and be domiciled at 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington, Maryland.
24. In April, 2010 the Respondent announced his campaign for the Maryland Senate from District 34. His campaign website at www.arthelton.com features a photograph of him by a doorway marked with the numerals 110.
25. On June 7, 2010 Respondent’s wife changed her voter registration from 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington to 110 Ravenswood Court, Joppatowne, Maryland.
26. On June 30, 2010 the Respondent filed his candidacy for the Maryland Senate for District 34.
27. On July 16, 2010 Complainant and Respondent testified in response to a complaint by Maryland State Senate Candidate Rovall M. Washington about the Respondent’s “hope to deceive the Maryland Board of Elections as to his true residency.”
28. On the same day This Honorable Court, having given notice of a hearing of less than twenty-four hours, denied the complaint.
29. The Respondent has never abandoned 3069 Harmony Church Road as his domicile.
30. The Respondent’s registration odyssey shows that he has never established 110 Ravenswood Court, Joppatowne as his domicile.
31. The government of Maryland is a republic. Its power is derived from the people. The people elect representatives from among themselves. The General Assembly adopts the boundaries of a set of legislative districts, which define the communities from which candidates may offer themselves and voters may choose among the candidates.
32. The government of Maryland is not a parliament derived from members of a political party offering themselves as candidates in any district where each candidate may choose to file regardless of the individual candidate’s domicile.
33. Former Senator Helton is not eligible to be a candidate for the Senate of Maryland from the Thirty-fourth District because he is not domiciled in the thirty-fourth District of Maryland.
34. Permitting an illegal candidacy creates mistrust in the minds of the electorate.
35. Permitting an illegal candidacy creates a chilling effect on potential candidacies by citizens whose candidacies would be legitimate.
WHEREFORE, the Complainant prays This Honorable Court to:
A. Find that the Respondent’s domicile is 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington, Maryland;
B. Find that the Respondent’s domicile is not 110 Ravenswood Court, Joppatowne, Maryland;
C. Direct the Harford Board of Elections to move Respondent’s voter registration to 3069 Harmony Church Road, Darlington, Maryland;
D. Disqualify Respondent’s candidacy for the Senate of Maryland for District 34.
AFFIDAVIT
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the matters and facts attested to herein are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information and belief.
______________________________
Barbara Osborn Kreamer
As in duty bound, etc.
______________________________
BARBARA OSBORN KREAMER
Pro Se
701 Beards Hill Road
Aberdeen, Maryland 21001-1756
STATE OF MARYLAND
TO WIT:
COUNTY OF HARFORD
I HEREBY CERTIFY that on the ___________ day of ________________, 2010 before me, the subscriber, a Notary Public in and for the State and County aforesaid, personally appeared , who acknowledged to me herself to be the person herein named and that she executed the foregoing document for the purposes therein contained.
My commission expires:
__________________________ _____________________________
Notary Public
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