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Resident accuses DeSoto city secretary of failing to verify candidate eligibility after May elections
Summary
A longtime resident told the council that failures by the city secretary to verify candidate qualifications led to invalid votes and legal challenges in May and June elections, and called for staff accountability.
Mary Bonaparte, a 37-year DeSoto resident, told the City Council on July 15 that errors by the city secretary in vetting candidate qualifications for local elections resulted in confusion and legal challenges during the May 3 and June 7 elections.
Bonaparte said the city secretary “failed to perform her job” by not ensuring every candidate met state election law requirements and that the oversight rendered “over 1,800 votes to be in vain,” eroding public trust. “Whether her actions were deliberate or in error, they were egregious enough to cause over 1,800 votes to be in vain and voters to now doubt the election process,” Bonaparte said.
She also accused the same employee of prior errors in meeting minutes and other duties and asked the council to “take the blinders off” and hold staff accountable. The comment came during the citizen appearances portion of the meeting; the council proceeded to its scheduled agenda items and later said the executive session held earlier that evening produced no public action.
The council did not take formal action at the meeting in direct response to Bonaparte’s comments; city staff did not provide a detailed statement about the allegations during the public comment period. Bonaparte’s remarks were limited to public comment and not part of a formal agenda item.
