Mayoral candidate Tom Barrow tossed a live grenade into the mayor's race Tuesday when he accused the two front runners and another candidate of violating campaign finance and election laws.
If they are found to be in violation, they could be booted off the ballot, giving Barrow a shot at being elected.
Barrow has made accusations in the past about campaign shenanigans, including charges in 2009 that the vote in the November election between him and Dave Bing was mishandled.
The Detroit News reports that Barrow, who has run for Detroit mayor three times, delivered complaint letters against Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, state Rep. John Olumba and Mike Duggan. He says those violations prevent them from being candidates in the Aug. 6 primary election. He claims each failed to file required campaign finance reports and pay late fees. Duggan also failed to dissolve his Wayne County prosecutor campaign committee, which has compiled fines since 2006, he said.
"These are fatal violations of Michigan's campaign and election laws and each candidate is ultimately responsible for proper compliance to ensure that every aspect of their candidacy is complete, thorough and defensible," Barrow said in a statement.
