Election Commission Boots Griffin From Ballot

Ieshuh Griffin (left) addresses the Milwaukee Election Commission. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Voters will only find Ieshuh Griffin‘s name on the ballot three times this spring: for county executive, mayor and the 3rd District Common Council seat.

Monday evening, the Milwaukee Election Commission unanimously voted to deny her access to the ballot in the 15th District for failing to submit 200 valid signatures. Griffin has alleged a conspiracy and vowed to sue over the matter.

Incumbent Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II, through attorney Michael Maistelman and private investigator Les Johns, challenged the legibility of several of the 270 submitted signatures and the validity of certain addresses. They also produced affidavits in a handful of cases that the signer did not live at the address.

“Candidate Russell Stamper is a liar,” wrote Griffin in her written response. She alleged collusion by Stamper and the election commission.

Election commission executive director Claire Woodall said the commission staff reviews submitted signatures with a presumption of validity. Before the challenge, it had recommended the three-member board place Griffin on the ballot with 221 valid signatures. But upon Stamper’s challenge, it found that a some of the signatures were incorrectly evaluated and came from outside of the district, some came from addresses with no residential units and others were from invalid addresses. Woodall and her staff also rejected some of Stamper’s challenges, but still left him with enough and Griffin with only 196 valid signatures.

Griffin was allowed to mount a defense.

“I’m an attorney whether you all accept it or not,” said Griffin, who regularly files lawsuits pro se, before Woodall could swear her in. “I have proof that this is fraud.”

She proceeded to double down on her written defense, introducing allegations of prostitution, swapped documents and intimidation.

“Claire falsified my signatures,” said Griffin. “My papers are completely different from what I turned in.” But she did not produce different sheets.

Griffin also alleged that Johns and Maistelman represented themselves as the election commission because their affidavits say “State of Wisconsin City of Milwaukee Election Commission” at the top. Maistelman said it was standard practice to include the body the affidavit would be submitted to at the top.

She alleged Johns had filled out and notarized the affidavits, which she said was a violation. And she also said the property manager that gave an affidavit did not have the authority to speak about tenants.

Griffin said Stamper had used a woman that was “basically a prostitute” to circulate his nomination papers and that the woman couldn’t be trusted.

She was denied her request to cross examine any other parties.

The candidate alleged she wasn’t given five minutes to speak, and had more evidence to introduce. Commission deputy director Paulina Esperanza Gutierrez said she had been timing the speeches and paused at any interruption.

“We gave you five minutes and you spent your five minutes talking about Alderman Stamper and the private investigator,” said commission chair Terrell Martin.

“I am going to appeal it and I am sure I will see you all in court,” said Griffin.

“You all are probably going to prison,” said Griffin as the commission went into a closed session.

The commission, made up of Martin, Douglas Haag and Patricia Ruiz-Cantu, returned from closed session to unanimously support Stamper’s challenge.

Should Griffin not succeed in her appeal, Stamper will run unopposed.

It’s not the first time she’s been removed from the ballot. She was denied ballot access in two different aldermanic special elections in summer 2022, which resulted in a federal lawsuit that was dismissed.

Griffin ran in the mayoral special election earlier that year, finishing seventh. She has continued to challenge those results, calling winner Cavalier Johnson “counterfeit” Griffin also filed a claim in federal court against Jeramey Jannene, Woodall and others during the mayoral race that was dismissed with prejudice.

“Vacant lots and fictitious people won’t get you on the ballot, but they could get you arrested,” Maistelman told Urban Milwaukee after the vote.

On Tuesday morning, Griffin, in a profane series of tweets on X, continued to attack Woodall, Stamper, Maistelman, Martin, Johns and others on Tuesday morning. She promised a federal lawsuit and a recall of Stamper.

Griffin did not face a challenge on her signatures for county executive, mayor or the 3rd District seat.

Coggs Challenger Remains

By the slimmest margin possible, Brandon Payton remains on the ballot in the 6th District. He will go head-to-head with incumbent Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs in April.

Following a challenge from Coggs and her attorney, Maistelman, the commission staff said Payton had 199 valid signatures. Woodall and her staff took no position on a pivotal 200th signature, the challenge of which hinged on the allegation that the signer wrote a two instead of a three.

To add a twist of irony to the situation, the street in question was Achilles Street. But it was not Payton’s weak spot, it turns out.

“The commission has reviewed and potentially does think it is a three,” said Woodall after the commission exited its closed session. The signatures above and below were from the same 3200 block and there is no 2200 block of Achilles Street. The commission’s decision meant Payton had 200 valid signatures.

Payton told Urban Milwaukee, before the commission voted, that he was committed to running as a write-in candidate if it denied him ballot access.

Zepnick, Geldon Challenges Dismissed

A challenge from Peter Burgelis as to the declared residence of Josh Zepnick in the 11th District race for the Common Council was denied after Zepnick, via Maistelman, produced a string of documentation that indicated he moved to the apartment in October. Burgelis alleged that it was not his true residence and that Zepnick lives outside of the district and has improperly used an in-district address.

Burgelis, who is currently a county supervisor, is stepping down from that position to run for the open seat long held by Ald. Mark Borkowski  and will face  Zepnick and Lee Whiting. A primary will be held in February to narrow the field to two.

Richard Geldon also survived a technical challenge from opponent Sharlen Moore and campaign advisor Brennan Balestrieri after he filed an updated campaign finance registration statement.

Moore and Geldon are the lone candidates in the race to replace Ald. Michael Murphy, who represents the 10th District.

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Related Legislation: File 231408