Mayoral candidate Brant Walker released the following statement today after Madison County Associate Judge Clarence Harrison sustained the decision of the Alton Electoral Board to remove his name from the April 9th ballot:
It is a sad day for our democracy when the Circuit Court allows a City to use its own incompetence as justification to remove a candidate from the ballot and deprive the citizens of their fundamental right to choose their leaders with their votes.
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The City of Alton issued multiple statements that indicated a zero balance on the accounts in question, which were never in my name but in the name of my tenants. Testimony during the hearing from both the City Comptroller and the City Treasurer indicated that the city’s records were accurate. The members of the Electoral Board, each of whom signed the current Mayor’s petitions, and now the Circuit Court, chose to ignore that evidence and hold me responsible for the City of Alton’s incompetence.
Based on this ruling, we can only conclude that city government has no responsibility to issue accurate records to its citizens, nor can we rely on the records we receive from city government.
This political circus has been nothing more than an attempt by the current administration, through a supporter, to prevent a free and fair election. After the incompetence that has been exposed during this case with regard to the billing practices of this city, it is apparent why this administration was so eager to clear the ballot and prevent the people of Alton from choosing the direction of this city with their votes.
I will remain in this race as a write-in candidate and will continue to take my message of transparent, competent leadership to the voters of Alton because they deserve a choice in this election.
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