Council candidates suing to try to keep foe off ballot

A legal fight has erupted in Baltimore’s 12th Councilmanic District over which candidates will be on the ballot for November’s general election. Democrat Robert Stokes and Green Party candidate Ian Schlakman were already on the ballot following victories in their party primaries this spring. But two unaffiliated candidates — Frank W. Richardson and Dan Sparaco — also have joined after gathering hundreds of signatures from voters in the district, which runs through east and central Baltimore neighborhoods. Sparaco’s addition has prompted a legal dispute. On Thursday, Schlakman and Richardson filed a federal lawsuit against the Maryland State Board of Elections, seeking an injunction to stop Sparaco’s name from appearing on the ballot. Schlakman and Richardson allege Sparaco, a former city lawyer, missed the state’s February filing deadline to run. Sparaco, who filed to run in July, acknowledges he missed the state’s deadline. He gained access to the ballot through his own federal lawsuit, which alleged that Maryland’s February filing deadline was unconstitutionally too early. Sparaco said he agreed to drop his suit once State Board of Elections officials agreed to let him on the ballot if he gathered enough signatures. State Board of Elections administrator Linda Lamone declined to comment. Schlakman and Richardson contend the state is violating its own rules by allowing Sparaco ballot access.