‘Awful’: Rhode Islanders react to Matos campaign controversies
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Two formal challenges have been filed with Secretary of State Gregg Amore against Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos’ congressional campaign after major discrepancies were reported in signatures gathered by the campaign.
The formal complaints were filed by the Rhode Island Working Families Party, as well as Nicholas Marroletti, the campaign manager for fellow 1st Congressional District candidate Donald Carlson.
“The goal here was to protect the electoral process,” said Carlson. “In Rhode Island, we play by the rules. We enforce the rules. We put the facts out on the table and make the right call under the law.”
The Working Families Party requested a formal review of all signatures collected for the Matos campaign by Holly McLaren, the woman who is accused of being the source of the fraudulent signatures.
“The more that the press and Boards of Canvassers look into these signatures collected by Ms. McLaren, the more concerns seem to arise,” Regional Director Georgia Hollister Isman said.
Isman added that the “hard work” of volunteers across campaigns as well as the “democratic process itself is cast in doubt” if an investigation does not take place.
Marroletti, meanwhile, challenged Matos’ nomination papers in Barrington, Bristol, Central Falls, Cumberland, East Providence, Lincoln, Newport, North Providence, Pawtucket, Portsmouth, Providence, Warren, and Woonsocket.
“To date, all the nomination papers containing fraudulent signatures have been submitted by a paid signature collector named Holly McLaren and notarized by Matos campaign staffer Even England,” he said.
The campaign manager said that an investigation should run parallel to the attorney general’s criminal investigation, since a criminal investigation would not affect the nomination process.
“Preliminary investigation has uncovered demonstrably fraudulent signatures on Matos’ nomination papers in at least two separate jurisdictions — including instances of signatures if people who have died, people who have moved away, and people who deny ever signing these nomination papers,” Marroletti said.
He added that Matos’ campaign has given “no satisfactory explanation” for the irregularities, and that the investigation should be conducted by the local board of canvassers in each municipality, as an investigation by a competing campaign would present a conflict of interest.
Matos’ campaign released a lengthy statement, saying the campaign is “deeply disappointed and angry” over the possibly fraudulent signatures but they are still confident the lieutenant governor will be on the ballot.
The Jamestown Board of Canvassers raised concerns Tuesday over the validity of signatures submitted for Matos’ campaign for the vacant seat.
Attorney General Peter Neronha also confirmed Wednesday that his office will be taking the lead on the criminal investigation into the fraudulent signatures, and Lt. Col. Robert Creamer said that the Rhode Island State Police will be working in conjunction with Neronha’s office.
