Jun 14, 2002 By Amy Karpinsky 3 min read

When Washington Township Democratic committeeman Joseph Malaspina declined an offer to step down from the Voter Integrity Board voluntarily, the majority of the board of Fayette County Commissioners voted to kick him off the panel. Commissioners Ronald M. Nehls and Sean M. Cavanagh voted Thursday in favor of the ejection, with Chairman Vincent A. Vicites casting the only dissenting vote.

Nehls said he had received requests from members of the county’s voter fraud panel to remove Malaspina, and added that Malaspina had been given every opportunity to withdraw.

Cavanagh said he talked with several board members, and some of them said if Malaspina remained on the panel, they would leave. He told Malaspina, who stood in the back of the room during the commissioners’ meeting, that it would be better for him to step aside than be removed. Malaspina just shook his head.

Vicites, who is a friend of Malaspina, asked for a reason for the vote. Nehls said it was to establish more harmony on the panel. “It’s obvious there is contention,” Nehls said.

Nehls said he believed that Malaspina made an honest mistake and that he has good values. He suggested that candidates should be given education and training in the future about election laws. Malaspina served on Nehls’ election committee when he ran for commissioner.

Malaspina initially came under fire when Jeraldine T. “Jerry” Mazza of Franklin Township came forward with charges of impropriety against him for circulating nominating petitions on behalf of two other candidates for Democratic committee in district’s other than where he lived.

Malaspina contended that he didn’t know it was improper to circulate the petitions. Malaspina, a resident of Washington Township’s voting District 2, circulated petitions for candidates in that township’s District 1 and District 4. The three-member Fayette County Election Board voted against directing the matter to the district attorney for possible criminal investigation.

Vicites pointed out that Malaspina, who is on Vicites campaign committee, was re-elected as a Democratic committeeman by a large margin.

Nehls said Malaspina was a magnificent worker for him and has been a friend. “It’s not meant to be a punishment. The issue is resolving the contention,” he said.

Cavanagh said the issue was either having a possible collapse of the panel or removing Malaspina. He said he didn’t want to rebuild a whole new board.

During public comment, Mazza told Vicites that he should be ashamed for serving on the election board hearing on Malaspina. Vicites said he had no legal obligation to step down from the hearing. He said he has been up front from the beginning about his relationship with Malaspina.

Malaspina asked why he was being treated unfairly when the chairman of the panel was himself thrown off the ballot. Joseph Henning of Wharton Township, the chairman of the panel, was thrown off the Democratic ballot for county commissioner in 1999 when he failed to meet a deadline for filing a copy of his statement of financial interest in the commissioners’ office. Nehls said in Henning’s case, there was no controversy. Nehls took offense when Malaspina said that Nehls had questioned his integrity. “Tell me when I questioned your integrity. I said you do a great job,” Nehls said.