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Seijas Sues To Stop Recall Election

MIAMI (CBS4) - Miami-Dade Commissioner Natacha Seijas isn't ready to let the citizens' voice be heard in a recall election without a fight.

Tuesday, Seijas' attorney Stephen Cody filed a lawsuit to stop the recall election, saying there were flaws in the signed petitions submitted to the Clerk of Courts, according to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald.

Seijas resorted to questioning Miami-Dade Clerk Of Courts Harvey Ruvin's integrity in a statement issued after the lawsuit was filed.

"My legal team has discovered potentially fatal errors committed by the Clerk's Office," Seijas said. "Accuracy should have been paramount during the Clerk's petition review process."

Seijas' attorney said that the political action committee leading the recall of Seijas, Miami Voice, "took a lot of shortcuts."

"A 66 percent margin of victory deserves to be respected," Seijas said in a statement on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, there are elements in this community who are recklessly making sport of the recall provisions in the Miami-Dade County Charter."

The move wasn't a surprise as Seijas angrily responded to the certification of the recall by again questioning Ruvin's integrity.

In a statement sent out December 23, the date the signatures were certified, Seijas said, "It (the certification) does raise concerns that the Clerk's office was able to complete this rigorous process in just a couple of days - right before Christmas. My review of his hasty work will begin in earnest after the holidays."

She also made a veiled hint at racism on both the Commission and in the community in her December 23rd statement.

"As a Cuban-American woman, I accept that there are elements of this community who resent my presence on the board."

Seijas represents District 13 which includes Hialeah and Miami Lakes.

(© MMX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)

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