Northwoods town board member charged with election fraud

A local official in Oneida County has been charged with election fraud after police say he forged signatures on his campaign papers.

James Staskiewicz, 69, admitted to falsifying the signatures, according to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested on suspicion of seven counts of forgery, one count of election fraud and one count of misconduct in public office, according to a sheriff’s office press release. According to court records, he was charged Thursday with felony counts of election fraud and misconduct in office.

Staskiewicz won election to the town board of rural Newbold in April 2019 by just three votes, receiving 449 votes to his opponent’s 446. The recommended charges relate to his reelection run. State law for the small municipality required him to collect at least 20 signatures to get on the ballot. The nomination form requires the circulator of the papers to attest that all signatures are valid.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the number of signatures required to get on the ballot as a town supervisor in Newbold.