Winter Park election rules revamped

Winter Park tied up some loose ends on a controversial issue that marred the city’s last election, tightening up rules for candidates to qualify for the ballot.

Ross Johnston’s attempt to get on the election ballot on Jan. 8 turned into a legal battle after City Clerk Cindy Bonham disqualified him. She had said he failed to properly complete the process, leading to arguments of clarity issues about the process. Johnston argued that the rules weren’t explicit and that Bonham could have used her discretion to allow him on the ballot, but refused. With the new rules, City Attorney Larry Brown said, that won’t be an issue any more.

“We made it very clear that if you fail to strictly comply…then the city clerk really doesn’t have any discretion,” Brown said at a Commission meeting April 8. “She has to reject it.”

The rule changes will also cut down on hastily submitted last-minute filings, with erroneous applications submitted within two days of the ballot deadline being thrown out.