Democrat Margaret Scarsdale, the presumptive winner of the first Middlesex District state consultant seat, can be unable to be sworn-in with the remainder of her friends on the State House on Wednesday.
In a press release shared Tuesday evening, House Speaker Ron Mariano stated the House would briefly delay the swearing-in of Scarsdale and presumptive 2nd Essex District winner Democrat Kristin Kassner.
“While I look forward to swearing in Representatives-elect Scarsdale and Kassner, the House will temporarily delay their swearing in to allow the Special Committee to Examine the Returns to thoroughly review the last minute legal issues raised in each race, and affirm the results of each election,” Mariano stated.
Both races have been contested by their Republican challengers, with 1st Middlesex District opponent Andrew Shepherd of Townsend submitting his contest on Dec. 23. However, the Scarsdale marketing campaign stated that it was unaware of Shepherd’s submitting till Dec. 27.
Arguing that the court docket would lose jurisdiction over the matter Wednesday when the House receives an inventory of licensed names of elected state representatives from the Secretary of State’s workplace, the Scarsdale marketing campaign filed a movement to dismiss the pending court docket case.
Additionally, the Scarsdale marketing campaign cited the state Superior Court’s ruling within the 2nd Essex District case from Dec. 29, which argued that it didn’t have jurisdiction over the case as state Rep. Lenny Mirra challenged his loss to Kassner.
In a press release launched Tuesday evening, Scarsdale stated she was disillusioned she wouldn’t be taking the oath alongside her friends.
“I, like so many of you, was looking forward to this day, when our district, for the first time in nearly a year, would have representation in the State House. Due to my opponent’s eleventh-hour lawsuit and election denialism more broadly, my swearing-in has been temporarily delayed,” Scarsdale stated.
Scarsdale continued, “This new and dangerous trend of not just denying election results, but using frivolous, disingenuous methods to delay the certified winner from taking her seat is chilling, and it poses a direct threat to our democratic process and the values we cherish in the Commonwealth and in our great country.”
Additionally, Scarsdale urged the Special Committee to work expeditiously and stated she was wanting ahead to its evaluation of the election, believing it could uphold the outcomes of the final election and subsequent recount.
“In the meantime, I continue to dedicate myself to all six communities in my district. In the coming days, I will announce opportunities for constituents to meet with me and share their priorities for the new legislative session. I am excited to continue to advocate for our communities as a seated member of the House of Representatives, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to deliver real results for my district this session,” Scarsdale stated.
In a press release, Shepherd stated he was “heartened” by Mariano’s determination to delay seating Scarsdale.
“I’m heartened to hear that Democrat Speaker of the House Ron Mariano has delayed the seating of Margaret Scarsdale while there is a review of the merits of our case, further solidifying that this legal complaint is not election denialism, but a review of serious irregularities under the smallest of margins. We hope this review will be used to strengthen the voting process throughout the Commonwealth,” Shepherd stated.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”