County Appraiser Kristina Kulpa Claims Hundreds Of Illegal Votes Cast
LABELLE, FL. -- Hendry County Property Appraiser Kristina A. Kulpa has filed suit with the Circuit Court, demanding a new election. Kulpa lost the election to Phillip Pelletier in the November 4 general election by 5 votes, and again on a recount by five votes. The election results were certified by Supervisor of Elections Lucretia Strickland on November 14, after the recount.
Kulpa, through her Boca Raton, Florida law firm Hodgson Russ L.L.P. filed a lawsuit at 9:11 a.m. Monday morning, the last day under state law to file. Kulpa, a Republican, claims "improper assistance to dozens of voters at the Clewiston Supervisor of Elections early voting station which illegally influenced the voters' choice for candidates."
She also claims that convicted felons may have voted in the election, and that poll workers failed to require "dozens of voters" to sign an affidavit or cast provisional votes when their information did not match info on the election office master file. Kulpa claims that "potentially hundreds of illegal votes were cast."
Kulpa filed the lawsuit against The Hendry County Canvassing Board, Lucretia Strickland, and Phillip Pelletier. Hendry county Judge Jim Sloan is the chairman of the three member Canvassing Board. She has demanded a trial by jury and a court order that the "election be set aside" and a new election be held, and demands court costs be awarded to her.
The law firm Hodgson Russ L.L.P. ,a large firm with over 200 attorneys in eight offices from Toronto, Canada to Palm Beach County ran into some difficulty this year and agreed to pay $50,000 to the New York Attorney General's Office in response to a statewide investigation over it's improper employment arrangements with school districts and various Boards of Cooperative Educational Services.
An investigation found Hodgson Russ classified it's lawyers for the schools as employees, instead of independent contractors, so that they could be eligible for state pension funds. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said "This is chronic widespread corruption and fraud," and "It's death by a thousand cuts and in the end taxpayers bleed millions of dollars." The firm without admitting any wrongdoing ceased the practice and paid the settlement amount.
Oh just give up and go spend time in your vacation homes that Hendry County helped to pay for.
ReplyDeleteIf this election was tainted then every election was tainted and Kulpa should not have been elected and reelected in the past.
The same people ran every election.
Miss Kulpa your attidute stincks your a poor loser and the way your acting you sure don't need to be in office
ReplyDeleteShe needs to move on for sure why waste money tax payers money to some law firm that lookes like their not all that stright up eather and to be honest I voted for you if they do have another election I promise you I will not VOTE FOR YOU THIS TIME GO AWAY
ReplyDeleteOh Lord, Miss Kulpa you just need to bow out. As a woman you should be ashamed of yourself for causing this uproar over a loss...be dignified. As a public official you should be embarassed of your actions...how convenient that every election before the one "not in your favor" wasn't tainted. Give me a break, you lost!
ReplyDeleteAs a new resident of LaBelle I can't believe this woman. I have worked in LaBelle for a couple of years and decided to move here I can honestly say I paid close attention to the race even though I was registared in Glades Co. I would have voted for Mr Pellitier if at the time of the election I lived in Hendry Co. Miss Kulpa all I can say is you are a poor loser. Did You really make so much money from the tax payers that you want more of thier hard earned money that your willing to sue for your job? Have you sat down and thought may the tax payers are looking for a change and you are not the one 5 more people wanted in office this time around?
ReplyDeleteHow about when Carl Berner lost 2 elections by 3 votes, after recount and canvasing board review, Carl accepted the loss and moved on. Ms Kulpa please do the same for the taxpayers of Hendry County.
ReplyDeleteStop wasting our money!!!!
I do believe that the Clewiston early voting was in the K-Mart Center office of Elections which is shared with Kristina Kulpa's employees.
ReplyDeleteSo if any one influenced voters it might have been Miss Kulpa's employees or all her office signs
You should be ashamed of yourself. Step down with your dignity. If you have been in office for 16 years, and had to campaign as long and hard as you did, and still did not win, then you haven't been doing something right. Just go away, and let Mr. Pelletier have his turn...
ReplyDeleteYou obviously made enough money while in office to pay for a billboard for pete sake. With your perdiem checks that you gave yourself & others in your office that didn't earn them. Be an adult for once & stop acting like a little spoiled brat who didn't get her way.YOU LOST, get over it!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I don't see one posting in favor of Kristina Kulpa. That oughta tell you something.
ReplyDeleteWhat is interesting is that this blog sounds like the same person repeating themselves over and over.
ReplyDeleteThe right person was sworn in TODAY!!!!! Just go away Ms. Kulpa!!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the Hendry County Republican Party is sponsoring this suit. Kristina Kulpa should just bow down gracefully to the will of the people. Come on...suing an agency that has to comply with the law AND her opponent?!? It would be better serving of the Republican Party to put the party's funds ($7,500???) to use in a candidate who can win through the will of the people. It certainly shows lack of good taste not to lose gracefully and congratulate the winner. Seems to me Phil Pelletier proves he is the better man for the job. It was a sign of poor taste that Ms. Kulpa could not even congratulate him on the night of the election. She has run her course in Hendry County.
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