WHEELING – An Ohio County judge has ruled that a Wheeling man should be allowed to serve on the county’s Republican Party Executive Committee.
Ohio Circuit Judge David Sims on August 2 ruled Dolph Santorine as the winner of the county’s District 2 spot to serve on the Republican Executive Committee in May 10’s election.
A proposed map change would have had Santorine living in District 1. The map change was recommended by the Secretary of State’s office, but it never was approved by the Ohio County Commission.
McArdle
The county GOP Executive Committee refused to recognize Santorine as the winner of the seat, saying the committee had the right not to seat him despite the election results.
Sims said Santorine ran for office in the district in which he lived during the lead-up to the primary. He also noted the GOP failed to challenge the election results within 10 days of them being certified by the county commission.
“The purported change in voting by eligible voters as a results of the … mapping error was never approved by the Ohio County Commission and as such was, and is, of no legal effect,” Sims wrote.
Ohio County GOP Executive Committee Chairwoman Elgine McArdle, who Sims’ order says declined to provide Santorine information about a committee organizational meeting, has said she will appeal the ruling.
McArdle, who was elected this week as head of the state Republican Party Executive Committee, had a domestic violence petition filed against her in 2011 when she allegedly “smacked (her) daughter in the mouth” for being a “smartass” at a Republican Party meeting. The DVP later was rescinded. Another daughter, Brooke McArdle, now is running for a Republican seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates.
Santorine is being represented Martin Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates in Wheeling.
Ohio Circuit Court case number 22-C-96