Maresca's name tossed from ballot after challenge, vows write-in campaign
Aug. 15—Devin Ryan Maresca's name will not appear on the general election ballot as an independent candidate in the New Castle mayoral race, a judge ruled Tuesday.
In an order Tuesday, Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas Judge John W. Hodge approved the petition challenge filed by Democratic mayoral candidate Mark Elisco, via his brother Dennis Elisco, removing Maresca from the ballot. Elisco is now the lone candidate on the ballot.
The Eliscos argued, during the challenge and during a court hearing Friday, that up to 14 signatures from Maresca's nomination petition were invalid. Maresca needed 100 signatures from registered voters in the city by Aug. 8 to make the ballot.
County Director of Elections Tim Germani said using the state SURE online system, it was discovered one signature was from a Union Township voter, another from a Taylor Township voter, one person had moved to Oil City when the petition was signed, while up to 11 other signatures were from non-registered city voters.
"The court finds that the testimony of Mr. Tim Germani, director of the Bureau of Elections for Lawrence County, to be credible, and as a result, the court finds that the respondent's (Maresca) nomination petition contains 14 invalid signatures," Hodge said in the order. "The court hereby determines that the respondent's nomination petition submitted on Aug. 1, 2023, lacks the minimum number of signatures required for his name to be on the Nov. 7, 2023, general election ballot."
During the court hearing, Maresca argued that he verified all his signers were city residents and registered to vote. He also claimed he was not given ample time to bring in the people who signed his petition to testify if they were registered city voters.
Maresca also claimed the Eliscos gave Germani an inaccurate list of names and addresses, purposefully misspelled or with the wrong addresses, in an effort to keep him from appearing on the ballot.
Maresca has already vowed to file as a write-in candidate for mayor in the event his ballot petition was denied.
