Detroit city councilmember sues city clerk, claims she was unjustly disqualified from ballot
Detroit City Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero is suing Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey after she claims she was unjustly disqualified from the ballot in her reelection bid for the District 6 seat.
"I'm here to say my report was filed on time and we owe no late fee," said Santiago-Romero, who represents Southeast Detroit. "The Wayne County Clerk reports a $250 late fee, which has led the city clerk to disqualify me from the ballot. This is truly undemocratic action."
Santiago-Romero claims her campaign filed for reelection on the ballot on Oct. 25, 2024, only to find out this week that she was disqualified. It's a situation she calls "a candidate's worst nightmare."
"If the law decides to not be on our side, that's fine … we're still running and I'm going to need everyone's help to make sure we run a strong write-in people's campaign," said Santiago-Romero.
In a news conference on Friday, Santiago-Romero's team says it's reached out to the city many times to sort out the issue, but has not received a response from the clerk's office.
"We simply ask that you acknowledge our timely filing, waive the wrongly assessed fee, and put us on the ballot. We owe it to the city to let the people decide who they want as their next Detroit city councilmember," Santiago-Romero said.
CBS News Detroit has reached out to the city clerk's office. We're still waiting for a response.
