Election Day (drama) is here!



ANC 8C03 Commissioner Cuthbert, William Lockridge, MPD

 
This morning The Advoc8te headed over to MLK Elementary in Congress Heights to exercise my right to vote, although to be honest I had no idea who I was casting a vote for until I had my ballot.  I am going to keep my mayoral selection to myself although I did happily cast my vote for Clark Ray for At-Large City Council (shameless endorsement plug).  There were no lines at MLK Elementary and I was in and out in a flash. There was only one problem with the voting itself, the touch screen voting machines were down so I had to do a paper ballot.

However, nothing is nearly quite that simple and drama free in "The Heights" and on Election Day no less.  On my way into the elementary school I did see Commissioner Mary Cuthbert (8C03) (she of the n-word infamy) sitting alongside the fence directly in front of her the school  in support of her candidate (Gray) and clutching some "Gray for Mayor" t-shirts.  I didn't think much of it at the time (seeing how I was still deciding who I was going to cast my votes for) but it seems someone did think much of it - the polling station manager.  It seems Mary was clearly (and I mean clearly)  within the "campaigning free zone" which had been indicated by very direct signage advising there would be no campaigning beyond that point.


Sign? What sign?

Seems Mary Cuthbert did not get the memo (or she did and chose not to read it). I wasn't there for this part of the story but as it was relayed to me by someone who was present.  The polling station manager asked Ms. Cuthbert to please move farther down the fence beyond the posted signs - she refused. He asked again and she refused again stating that the law is she can't be within 50 feet of the door so she didn't care where he put the signs she wasn't moving (please note: all the other campaigners stayed outside of the campaign free zone).  At some point William Lockridge got involved and he started yelling at the polling manager and getting up in his face and someone called the police.


Don't you know who I am?

At this point I come out of the door and to see  Mr. Lockridge yelling at the polling manager, the police (two cruisers btw) trying to defray the situation, Mary Cuthbert on the phone calling the police precinct herself and still refusing to move.  I didn't hear all that was said but Mr. Lockridge was commenting that as an ANC Commissioner, Commissioner Cuthbert should be entitled to a certain level of respect (was unclear if that meant a pass on the campaign law).  All the while, campaign workers from both camps are commenting that if the rules apply to them they apply to Commissioner Cuthbert and she needed to move.  Voters such as myself are both horrified and slightly amused. All the while little children are showing up to start their day. In case you didn't know Commissioner Cuthbert is a member of the Ward 8 Democrats Executive Committee, makes you wonder. 

P.S. Vote Clark Ray for At-Large City Council!

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