Wilmington officials question 164 signatures on baseball petition | Baseball

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - The city of Wilmington is calling into question the validity of 164 signatures on the petition that would force a public vote on spending taxpayer dollars to fund a minor league baseball stadium.

The petition, which would prevent the city from spending public money on the project, has already been verified by the New Hanover County Board of Elections and sent to the city to consider next steps.  Those steps include the city either accepting the petition as it is written or putting it up for a public vote.  

However, city officials indicated Friday they have asked the Board of Elections to verify those dozens of signatures again. According to Elections Director Marvin McFadyen, the city has identified 104 names they say have questionable signatures along with another 60 names with incorrect dates of birth.

McFadyen says he expects to have all the names finished by Monday. This additional action will come at a cost to the city of $30/hour for the work.

City officials indicate after they get the response, they will make a final determination on the petition.

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