Resident questions Steel’s run for council

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- The city attorney has launched an investigation into a

resident’s allegation that City Councilman-elect Chris Steel filed

invalid documentation and should not have been in the running for a

council seat.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, Costa Mesa resident Michael

Szkaradek claimed that one of the signatures appearing on Steel’s

nominating petition was forged and that the councilman-elect should be

barred from taking office.

Szkaradek said he examined the signatures on record at the Orange

County Registrar of Voters Office. He alleges that a man signed Steel’s

papers, then also forged his wife’s signature.

“I feel it is inappropriate for [Steel] to be a candidate and as a

private citizen I have the right to challenge candidacy in any way I want

to,” said Szkaradek, who in a 1986 council race finished 12th among 13

candidates, including Steel.

“If in fact someone signed twice, Steel has some explaining to do

about signing the declaration that he saw everyone sign the petition,” he

said. “I don’t know how he’s going to explain that. ... I don’t think the

husband can sign nomination papers for her without going through a

process. It wouldn’t be an issue if he had spare signatures, but he

didn’t.”

Steel has denied any wrongdoing.

To qualify for candidacy, council hopefuls must obtain a minimum of 20

signatures by registered Costa Mesa voters. Orange County Registrar of

Voters Rosalyn Lever said her office had validated the signatures on

Steel’s nomination papers.

Steel on Tuesday said he was shocked and appalled at Szkaradek’s

“phony charges.”

“I have no ill will against [Szkaradek] and I don’t know why he’s

doing this or who he’s doing it on behalf of, but I don’t like it,” Steel

said. “I don’t know where this is going or what’s going on, but I wish

people would wait until I get into office to start criticizing me. I

didn’t attempt any fraud, intend any fraud or commit any in fact. And

nobody I know did, either.”

City Atty. Jerry Scheer said his office is investigating the matter,

but did not know if it would affect the outcome of the election. Scheer

declined to comment further, saying it is “a novel case that involves

areas of the elections code and procedures we’re not as familiar with as

others.”

The allegation against Steel is not the only thing unusual about this

year’s three-seat election.

Steel, so far the top vote-getter, and incumbent Libby Cowan are

leading the other candidates by more than 1,000 votes. However, candidate

Karen Robinson and incumbent Councilwoman Heather Somers are virtually

neck and neck, with Somers trailing Robinson by just 24 votes, according

to updated figures released Tuesday by the registrar’s office.

Lever said all absentee votes are in and tallied, but the provisional

votes have yet to be counted.

This year’s election marked Steel’s 10th council campaign. Over the

years, he has repeated his platform against city policies that he

believes attracts illegal immigrants.

Szkaradek said he developed a dislike for Steel during the 1986

campaign because he felt Steel was biased against renters, who at the

time represented a significant percentage of the city’s population.

Steel said a disagreement 14 years ago is no reason for Szkaradek to

make accusations against him.

“I really don’t remember what happened when I got those signatures,

but I know there was no fraud involved,” he said. “I talked with the man

while he was signing. I may have asked for his wife and she may not have

been available, but I don’t remember. If he signed for his wife, and I

don’t know that he did, I’m sure he was authorized to do so. But I didn’t

know anything about it. I certainly didn’t forge the signature or ask him

to do anything illegal. I wasn’t paying attention, and when I left, I

never looked back.”