Commissioner Seijas Takes Recall Fight To Court
MIAMI (CBS4) - In her fight to block a recall election, Miami-Dade Commissioner Natacha Seijas will go before a judge Monday afternoon to make her case.
Monday morning Seijas gave a deposition with reporters present. Last Thursday, she walked out of a deposition because a reporter was present. The following day Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Amy Steele Donner ruled the media would be permitted into the proceeding because it involved an elected person and a public matter.
Seijas will appear before Donner in the afternoon to present a legal challenge. Seijas' lawyer claims that some of the petitions gathered to qualify for a recall vote are bogus and if they are discounted there are not enough legitimate petitions to justify the vote.
During Monday's proceeding lawyers for Miami Voice, the group which organized the recall effort against Seijas and Mayor Carlos Alvarez, produced a warranty deed for Seijas' home in which her name as misspelled. When asked if it invalidated her as a homeowner, Seijas and her attorney said of course not. The lawyers for the recall said by that standard errors in notary signatures and the like should not invalidate thousands of signatures of registered voters who signed on recall petitions.
According to the county's charter, in order for there to be a recall vote four percent of the county's registered voters must sign a petition asking for it.
During questioning by the Miami Voice lawyers, Seijas deflected most of the questions.
"Did you indicate you did not want to appear on the same ballot as the mayor," asked an attorney.
"I don't remember saying it," replied Seijas.
"So your testimony is you have never once said that you did not want to appear on the same ballot (as Mayor Alvarez)," asked the attorney.
"No, my testimony is I don't remember saying it," replied Seijas.
Seijas was also repeatedly asked if there was anything wrong with the petitions.
"I am not an attorney, I am not a notary public and I am not a documentation investigator," she replied.
The recall election will be held March 15th.
