Frank Jr. Molley’s name won’t be on the ballot next week when St. Thomas University students vote in the students’ union election.
Molley was running for president but missed a mandatory candidates meeting.
“It was my fault,” he said Tuesday.
Molley said he was working cleaning floors at a store in Oromocto from 11 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday.
After work, he decided to take a nap before the meeting which took place 9 a.m. Monday. He said he only woke up at 12:20 p.m.
Section 3 of the St. Thomas University students’ union election by-laws says a candidate must attend the meeting and may be disqualified if they don’t attend.
That’s what happened to Molley.
That day, Sarah Bulman, chief returning officer, told him he was off the ballot. Ryan Smith, a candidate for a board of governors position, was also disqualified for the same reason.
“After repeated notifications about the meeting, they violated the by-law,” said Bulman.
Molley explained his situation to Bulman, according to emails Molley provided, asking her to rethink her decision multiple times. On Tuesday she again told him he was out.
Molley went to Bulman’s boss, vice-president administration Mary-Dan Johnston, to see what options there were to appeal the decision.
In an email, Johnston said one option could be an official appeal to the appellate board after the election.
But the appeal process could take up to two weeks once the election is finished, she explained to Molley in an email.
“If I choose to go for an appeal in this decision, it will be based solely on my goals I want to achieve as president,” he said.
Bulman said little about the disqualification in an interview. She said her final election report will have more details.
Bulman said no candidates have been disqualified since she started as CRO in the fall of 2010.
In 2007, then chief electoral officer Caitlin Mahoney kicked a presidential candidate out for distributing a letter to student societies with the signature “Candidate for President” before the nomination period was even closed.
Molley says the CRO is too powerful and wants the by-laws rewritten to clarify some sections.
“I think my issues are important enough to be brought to the university’s attention,” Molley said.
“I feel like I’ve been denied.”
