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Smith men accuse candidate of vote-buying Paul Bickford Northern News Services Published Monday, October 31, 2011
Two men have signed letters faxed to Elections NWT accusing Peter Martselos, an unsuccessful candidate in Thebacha riding, of giving them $20 each to vote for him. The letters were signed by Lawrence Bruno and Raymond Beaulieu. "I was sitting in front of Kaeser's Store when Peter Martselos came by," reads the letter signed by Bruno. "I told him I was short for couple of bottles of wine. He told me I'll give you $20 if you vote for me." In the letter he signed, Beaulieu tells a similar story of sitting near Kaeser's Store when he was approached by Martselos. When contacted by News/North, Bruno, 57, said the incident with Martselos happened three or four weeks before election day. "He approached me in front of Kaeser's Store and he gave me $20 so I would vote for him," he reiterated. Bruno said he is an alcoholic and he took the money. "It's a couple of bottles of wine for me," he said, adding that's what he did with the money. Bruno said he wasn't intoxicated at the time he talked with Martselos. "I was looking around for money for drinks," he said. Bruno noted he didn't actually vote for Martselos, but instead voted for candidate Jeannie Marie-Jewell. Ruth Nadary, Bruno's girlfriend, said she saw Martselos give $20 to Bruno, but she didn't hear the conversation between the two. Bruno said he doesn't think it's right for people to pay for votes. "If you're going to buy a vote, why not do something for the people instead?" he said. Bruno said his understanding is that his friend, Raymond Beaulieu, received money a couple of days later. Both letters were handwritten by a relative of Bruno, but signed by the two men. Repeated attempts by News/North to contact Martselos were unsuccessful. A person answering his cellphone emphatically said Martselos did not wish to comment. David Brock, chief electoral officer for the NWT, confirmed he has received a complaint and the issue is under review, although he declined to disclose details of the complaint. The chief electoral officer said the nature of the complaint against Martselos is in the realm of a major election offence. Brock noted that, to his knowledge, no individual has ever been convicted of vote-buying in the NWT. Anyone convicted of a major election offence under the Elections and Plebiscites Act could be fined up to $5,000, imprisoned up to one year, or both. That person could also be disqualified for five years from being elected to the legislative assembly, from voting and from holding any office appointed by the Commissioner of the NWT or the legislative assembly. Brock said a review, which he undertakes, is the first of three possible steps. A review looks at things such as the nature of a complaint, the evidence provided, whether the chief electoral officer has jurisdiction, and if a potential violation of the act is involved. It also determines if there is substance to a complaint, Brock said. "We want to make sure that we're not reviewing something that's frivolous or vexatious." The length of a review varies with the volume and complexity of the subject matter, he said. "But my first priority is to resolve all matters brought to my attention in a timely manner." After a review, Brock could simply dismiss a complaint or seek corrective action, although that would be a response to something like an administrative infraction or a good-faith violation. "Third, would be to proceed towards investigation and that obviously is a more serious and formal step," he said. "If I were to proceed towards an investigation, then that investigation would be carried out by a professional or a group of professionals and a report would be filed with me." Brock would then decide to either dismiss a complaint or proceed towards some sort of enforcement action, which could include a fine, a compliance agreement or prosecution in the most serious of cases.
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