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Grand Island election mystery caused by "Concerned Citizens"
A group of self named "Concerned Citizens" in Grand Island are causing an election mystery. The anonymous group sent out campaign postcards in favor of ward 4's Larry Carney just before the November 6th election.
The twist is that Carney had already announced his intention to resign. It's a mystery that continues to go unsolved. And, it could have cost Mike Paulick a seat on Grand Island city council. After Larry Carney announced his resignation it seemed the ward 4 city council seat was Mike Paulick's for the taking. Since living in Grand Island, Paulick has spent 30 years working for the city. "I've been here a long time. I know how the budget works. I know all the processes," said Paulick. He has the credentials, but that seat may be harder to obtain than he expected. "My neighbor came over, goes what's this?" said Paulick. With days until the election, Ward 4 residents found pro-Carney post cards in their mailboxes. "He said, Larry's resigning, why is this coming out? And, I go, I have no Idea, I guess you'd have to ask the concerned citizens, if you can find them," Paulick said. But, the return address leads to a dead end including, a man who claims he has no idea who sent the postcards out. Carney had no idea either: "I didn't even get a card." That may be a calculated move. Neither Carney nor Paulick received a post card. "They knew that I was going to resign. So the idea there, had it worked, I would have been gone and Mike would have been gone," said Carney. This means someone else would take the seat. Paulick went to the election commissioner for answers. "She said if Larry happened to get more votes than me, then if he resigned then the mayor would have to appoint somebody," said Paulick. "It's a manipulation. It's a way to control the council," Carney said. In the end Paulick won with 54% of the vote. But, we're still left wondering who really is behind this? "That's all it is, politics. Just somebody with an agenda," said Paulick. News 5 spoke with the man who paid for the 4th ward mailing addresses. He wouldn't go on camera, but did tell me he feels misled. A friend he trusted asked him to get the mailing list. He says his involvement ends there. |
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