Several challenges have been lodged against mayoral candidates Dawn Zimmer and Beth Mason concerning their filing blunders, but none address the issue of a city clerk notarizing Zimmer’s petitions on city time.
According to filing records obtained by the Reporter, an employee at the city clerk’s office, Frank Monte Magno, who is also a notary public, notarized a portion of her petitions, and a city spokesperson confirmed that the transaction took place while that employee was on the clock.
Councilman Ravi Bhalla notarized another portion of the petitions.
Paul Swibiski, campaign manager for Beth Mason, alleged today that Bhalla was asked but declined to “pre-notarize” an unsigned document that eventually made its way to Monte Magno. Accoridng to Swibinski and a source at City Hall, the petitions had all the correct signatures once Monte Magno notarized them.
Bhalla was not immediately available for comment.
Swibinski also claimed that Zimmer’s confidential aide Daniel Bryan, whom she hired in lieu of a chief-of-staff, was involved in having the petitions notarized by Monte Magno. However, Bryan denied the allegation that he was involved. “100 percent false,” Bryan said. “I never worked on the campaign while working at City Hall” nor did he touch any documents pertaining to the campaign.
“If [Monte Magno] knows somebody, he can notarize things [for them],” he said, and added that Monte Magno’s notary license is a private license, not any city requirement. “It occurred on city hours, but she didn’t use city resources” he said.
He couldn’t comment on whether using a city employee to do private business on city time was a use of city resources, but did say that the clerk’s office has made a practice of this in the past.
Swibinski commented on the allegations: “This is much worse than if someone from her campaign leaned on [Monte Magno]. This is a complete betrayal of any kind of open government or reform principle.”
He said he believes the Monte Magno was put “in jeopardy” by having to sign the documents only because Bhalla “didn’t want to break the law” by “pre-notarizing.”
Swibiski said he wants to hear what Bhalla and Monte Magno have to say under oath. “I want to know what [Zimmer] knew and when she knew it,” he said.
Zimmer and her campaign manager were not immediately available, and her campaign attorney Alex Booth would not comment on the allegations. — TJC