Council Candidate to Defend Challenge to Election Filing

The candidacy of two Kent residents hopeful to appear on the November ballot for the Kent City Council race has come into question by the Portage County Board of Elections.

The elections board will review next week whether or not candidate hopefuls Doria Daniels and Scott Flynn will be appear on the ballot as independent candidates for the three at-large council seats up for election this fall.

The review was spurred by a letter sent by Kent resident Fred Mendiola formally challenging their listing as independent candidates unafilliated with either major political party. By filing as independent, a candidate is able to bypass the primary elections held this past spring in which three Democrats, incumbents Roger Sidoti and Mike DeLeone along with Melissa Long, received enough votes to move on to the November race.

No Republican candidates filed for the May primary.

Mendiola’s letter protested Flynn and Daniels’ filing as independents and argues that Daniels has a prior affiliation with the Republican party and Flynn with the Democratic party.

The Record-Courier reported that elections board records show both have voted in primary elections for the aforementioned parties they are linked to by Mendiola.

The elections board will review their candidacy and party affiliation Monday, and Daniels said she plans to attend to defend her candidacy.