Councilwoman Ellen Andeen challenges validity of Paradise Valley signatures
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
As of 2:29 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, Tim Dickman is no longer a candidate for Paradise Valley Town Council.
Paradise Valley Town Clerk Duncan Miller accepted the formal withdrawal of Mr. Dickman at Town Hall, 6401 E. Lincoln Drive, yesterday afternoon following the lawsuit filed against elector signatures filed on behalf of Mr. Dickman’s pursuit of one of three seats up for grabs at this summer’s primary election.
Voters will take to the polls Tuesday, July 30 — the Town of Paradise Valley is hosting an all-mail election this summer — to elect lawmakers across the nation including the next president of the United States.
Filed on April 15 at Maricopa County Superior Court by Attorney Timothy A. La Sota on behalf of Paradise Valley Councilwoman Ellen Andeen, are challenges to the validity of signatures gathered by the Dickman campaign to qualify for the upcoming July primary ballot.
In his complaint, Mr. La Sota claims “at least 42 signatures are invalid,” going further to claim “at most Dickman has 148 invalid signatures.” A total of 174 valid elector signatures are required for a candidate to be placed on the upcoming July primary ballot.
“I chose not to spend my time in litigation for a volunteer position,” Mr. Dickman told the Digital Free Press of his April 17 withdrawal from the race. “I believe I could have fought in court and would have prevailed but what is the point? I am not going to do that.”
Councilwoman Ellen Andeen challenges validity of Paradise Valley signatures
Mr. Dickman explains that as a candidate gathering signatures candidates have to be trusting of the folks signing they are who they say they are.
“As a candidate you are trusting the people who are signing — we were acting in good faith,” he said of his volunteer efforts. “Many of her [Councilwoman Andeen] challenges didn’t have merit, but I chose to say this isn’t worth it for me to be involved in litigation over this.”
Mr. Dickman has been a steadfast volunteer at the Town of Paradise Valley most notably his efforts in creating statewide legislation reforms in the short-term rental sector and serving at the Advisory Committee on Public Safety at Town Hall.
Councilwoman Andeen says she made the challenge because she saw a lack of attention to detail with signature gathering.
“I looked at the low number of signatures and became concerned with duplicates,” she said. “I don’t think it is indicative of his character at all. But he did put he was running for ‘city council’ and we are a town. The big thing was a lack of attention to detail.”
In the Town of Paradise Valley, Mary Hamway, Mark Stanton and Anna Thomasson are vying for the top elected position at Town Hall, 6401 E. Lincoln Drive, as two-term Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner has opted to not seek re-election to local office this cycle.
Now the race for Paradise Valley Town Council is uncontested with candidates Scott Moore, Karen Liepmann and Julie Pace to be installed in January 2025.
