Pittsburgh council candidate withdraws from ballot; two others under challenge

Pittsburgh’s City Council races inched closer to being uncontested in the crucial Democratic primary, as one of three candidates whose election petitions were challenged withdrew his name from the ballot, and two others face significant challenges if they hope to remain in the May 20 primary.

Brian Naughton, of City Council District 4 in the South Hills, abandoned his bid to take on incumbent Anthony Coghill after Coghill challenged the validity of his election petitions.

Coghill’s filing had alleged that of the 128 signatures on the petitions that Naughton filed, 48 suffered from defects and should be stricken, leaving the challenger with less than the 100 signatures required to run for city council. Naughton’s withdrawal leaves Coghill without a Democratic rival, though Republican Tracy Larger stands ready to challenge him in the fall.

Two other Democrats also face legal challenges: Amanda Neatrour and David Binkoski. Both are aiming to replace retiring District 2 council member Theresa Kail-Smith, and are in competition with Kail-Smith’s preferred successor, aide Kim Salinetro, whose candidacy has not been challenged.

A legal challenge filed by a district voter and Allegheny County Democratic Committee member argued that Binkoski should be tossed from the ballot because he had not properly filed copies of his statement of financial interest.

Candidates are required to file two such copies: one at the elections office where they submit their petitions, and one with the government entity they are seeking to represent. For a municipal candidate in Pittsburgh, that means filing paperwork with the city clerk.

Binkoski acknowledged in court Monday that while he had filed the paperwork with the elections office on time on March 11, he did not file a financial statement with the city clerk’s office. He said that when he asked the attendant at the county elections office whether he needed to file any additional paperwork, he was not told he needed to file it elsewhere. He said when he learned of the challenge, he filed the second copy as well — but after the deadline had expired.

A failure to properly file a copy of the statement typically results in a candidate being disqualified, and while Judge John McVay Jr. deferred his ruling, he said he was close to doing so. He told Binkoski he had three days to bring in further arguments in his favor.

Neatrour’s candidacy, like that of Naughton, was challenged for filing petitions without the requisite number of valid signatures from district voters. Neatrour collected 144 signatures, but 64 were brought into question.

Neatrour came up short Monday after court proceedings and testimony from a handwriting expert on Monday. McVay ruled that 98 of her signatures were valid — just two under the 100 needed to get on the ballot.

The decision required McVay to make a number of judgment calls on the legitimacy of those signatures, and Neatrour can appeal his ruling. She said Monday afternoon that she would have to talk to her team about whether to do so.

“I think the judge did what he thought was fair,” she said. “I am grateful to the court for doing what it's supposed to do. People have the right to bring objections.”

Running for office had impressed upon her the need for a more accessible elections process, she said. She noted her own concern that only two out of the three candidates for District 2 had received challenges.

“This is not about me, it never was,” she said. “This is about my district, my community, and the people who literally are just dying for change.”

If Neatrour and Binkoski are both removed, it would mean that none of the four council races on the ballot will be contested this May: Coghill and Salinetro would have removed their primary rivals, and incumbents Daniel Lavelle and Erika Strassburger are running uncontested.

Pittsburgh’s primary election is May 20.