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How to be a candidate for Ridley Park Council or Mayor
Are you interested in becoming Mayor or Ridley Park or serving on Ridley Park Borough Council? Any registered voter and citizen of Ridley Park is eligible to run. If you want to run for a seat on Borough Council or for the position of Mayor, here are the legal steps you'll need to follow so voters can see your name on the official ballot in the primary election on May 21, 2013 and how voters can cast their vote for you.
The first task is to obtain blank copies of the two forms you'll need: "Nominating Petitions" and "Candidate's Statement of Financial Interests." These are available to all candidates in early February from the Delaware County Bureau of Elections, at the Government Center at Front and Orange Streets in Media. (610.891.4120). To be listed on the May 21 primary election ballot, each candidate must return their "Nominating Petitions" to the Delaware County Bureau of Elections office BY MARCH 12, 2013 with a minimum of 10 signatures of registered Ridley Park Borough voters.
Your 10 signatures must be from the same party as the person circulating your petition. So Republicans must get Republicans to sign their petition and Democrats must have only Democrats sign their petition. Anyone who is a registered voter in Ridley Park can sign your petition; your family and friends included. To get 10 valid signatures prospective candidates should always acquire 15 or 20 signatures instead of the minimum 10. The reason for the extra signatures is that errors occur all the time and signature petitions are highly scrutinized. For instance, each voter on your petition must print and sign their names exactly as they are registered in the voter record. Often times voters forget a middle initial, they abbreviate their name, of they forget the suffix at the end of their name. In every instance a minimum of 10 signatures must be 100% exactly like the voter record. The very best ways to avoid errors are to check voter registration cards, or get a valid list of registered voters from a RP committee person, or from the Delaware County Bureau of Elections and compare signatures one by one.
Family and friends who assist you to circulate and collect your necessary signatures should remember that each petition circulator must have their signature notarized after they have collected all the signatures for their candidate.
Along with the candidate's signatures on the "Nominating Petition" each candidate also completes and submits the "Candidate's Statement of Financial Interests" by March 12. One copy must be attached to the nominating petition. The original statement is filed with the Ridley Park Borough Manager.
Future blogs will invite comments on how to campaign for office after you are certified as a candidate. Meanwhile, keep track of all donations and expenses for the campaign. Candidates must file finance reports.
Comment
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Comment by Charlie Maurone on February 27, 2013 at 1:53pm
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ONLY THE PEOPLE OF RIDLEY PARK CAN STOP THE BUYOUT!
There are groups of residents in Ridley Park coming together to work for responsible, transparent, and effective local government.
In addition to the Ridley Park Democratic Committee who are at this time circulating petitions for Mayor and Council, individuals in our Borough, under the banner, Ridley Park First, have petitions for Mayor and council available and in circulation also, inviting Republicans, Democrats and Independents to participate in our local government.
It is very important that Councilors Jared Brennan and Sue Murtha
receive support from a new majority on council, and a new mayor.
If you would like to become part of the effort to stop the $100,000.00 Philly buyout of Ridley Park's
elected officials by a rogue group of the Republican party in Ridley Park, (Delaware County Election Board records reveal - Philly Union campaign contributions to the Ridley Park Republican chairman who is employed by them, totaled that amount in the last few years )Let's place People before Party, join in the
effort Contact ridleyparkfirst@comcast.net
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Comment by Kenneth Harper on February 25, 2013 at 1:06pm -
Would like to bring this to the attention of all Ridley Park residents, I will be going around the borough to gather signatures for my petition for mayor. Just wanted to add this small piece of information to all borough residents. Kenneth Harper doesn't own the hardware store in Ridley Park by the railroad, and never has. Thank-you.
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Comment by Nina on January 24, 2013 at 10:37am -
Good for you Ken!! We need community leaders to step up and speak out for the residents
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Comment by Kenneth Harper on January 24, 2013 at 10:00am
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Hi Nina,
I am interested in running for Mayor. Now we need some good people to run for council, who really care about Ridley Park & all of the residents.
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Comment by Nina on January 21, 2013 at 1:24pm
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Thanks for all comments. As they say, democracy is not a spectator sport. It works best when the greatest number participates
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Comment by Rebecca Clemmer on January 21, 2013 at 11:45am -
Thank you, this is good information to make available to all!
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Thank you Nina for the comprehensive information on becoming a candidate for local office and how to become involved in the Borough government. Ridley Park is again at a crossroad; good, honest
reliable individuals are needed to work together for Ridley Park. The current majority on Council have not been an asset to our community. Many people supported them in anticipation our local government would be better served. As evidenced by viewing some of them on the cable channel more energy and effort is devoted to infighting than the interests of our Town.
From the emails and calls the Ridley NEWS is receiving there is a call for change for mayor and some of the individuals who currently sit on council.
I believe it is the time, this year, 2013, to bring that change.
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