Santiago-Romero disqualified from ballot over disputed fee, vows legal fight
Documentation shows the Detroit councilwoman followed the law
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Detroit City Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero is fighting to stay on the August primary ballot after Wayne County election officials disqualified her over a $250 campaign finance fee she says was wrongly assessed.
The popular first-term councilwoman, who won her Southwest Detroit district with 74% of the vote in 2021, said she received a notice from the Wayne County Clerk’s Office on Monday informing her that she had been removed from the tube ballot due to a late campaign finance report filed in October. Santiago-Romero disputes the claim, saying she has proof the report was submitted on time.
“It is extremely upsetting that the Clerk is falsely accusing me of submitting a report late,” Santiago-Romero said in a statement. “Our campaign has documentation that our report was timely filed on October 25 in the form of the filing itself and an email receipt from the Clerk’s Office. I have always prided myself on strict adherence to the law and being a transparent elected official. As such, I’m releasing all documentation showing the error lies with the Clerk’s Office, not my campaign.”
The documentation, reviewed by Metro Times, confirms that her campaign’s report was filed on time.
The news of Santiago-Romero’s disqualification was first reported by journalist Sam Robinson on social media.
Wayne County officials contend the report was not received until Nov. 8, nearly two weeks past the deadline. A $250 late fee was assessed, and because it remains unpaid, the clerk’s office ruled her ineligible for the ballot.
“It is the responsibility of each candidate or candidate committee to ensure that all required campaign documents are filed timely and any outstanding campaign finance fees are fully paid in accordance with Michigan law,” Dorian Tyus, special assistant to the Wayne County Clerk, said in a written statement.
Santiago-Romero argues the fee stems from a clerical amendment made after the original filing and not from a late submission. She said she was unaware of the issue when she submitted more than 600 petition signatures, twice the number required to qualify for the ballot.
She also announced she has retained attorney Mark Brewer, an expert in campaign laws, and is prepared to take legal action if the clerk’s office does not reverse its decision.
