So, Nevin’s gone. Officially.
The decision that came down today from the Commonwealth Court ensured that independent candidate Nevin Mindlin will not be on the November ballot.
Furthermore, he stated that he will not run a write-in campaign, calling it “the ploy that political parties use to fake democracy and political participation and to dupe the unsuspecting public into believing that they have choices.”
Indeed, the political parties do control the process, though it seems surprising to me that this would be news. The two major parties have had a lock on power in this country for about 160 years. After savaging one another, their next priority is to preserve their duopoly.
I have repeatedly stated that Harrisburg is worse off for not having Mindlin on the ballot, and I continue to believe that. I had hoped the court would rule in favor of ballot inclusion. That said: not filling out a section of a nomination petition that says, “All nomination papers shall specify,” is a ticket to getting kicked off.
Why? Because, following a nomination deadline, the first thing that party operatives and candidate supporters do is drive down to the county courthouse and examine the nomination papers of opponents. If they find an error, a challenge invariably ensues.
You may not like this; I don’t like this. However, it’s a basic fact of running for office in this country. Heck, Dan Miller ran unopposed for city controller in 2009 after his presumptive primary opponent, long-time Controller James McCarthy, had his petition challenged and then denied for missing a deadline by three days. And petition challenges have sunk several other would-be candidates, just in this town, just in this election cycle.
So, you can believe, as Mindlin does, that “moneyed interests” and “the established regime” are behind his ballot access woes. You can believe that Mindlin just made a mistake. You can believe that the Dauphin County Bureau of Elections gave him bum advice on filling out his petition.
But, really, it doesn’t much matter. If you want to run for office, and a petition asks you to name a “committee to fill vacancies,” name one. When it says to file by a certain date, file by that date. When it states a residency requirement, make sure you meet it.
Know that, if you hope to be a candidate and don’t follow the law’s strict guidelines, you will get challenged. Political pros and party operatives would consider it the height of malpractice not to challenge a petition when they’re able. That’s just what happens; that’s just what they do.
