Cerasa says he will not contest issue of removal from the ballot

Frank Cerasa

A former mayoral candidate is ending his fight to be restored to the ballot.

Frank Cerasa posted on social media that he will not contest the decision to have his nomination rejected and won’t go forward with any sort of legal challenge to try and get back in the race. His nomination was rejected by clerk Kevin Fox shortly after the nominations closed as it was ruled that Cerasa only had 24 valid nominations. Cerasa submitted forms with 25 nominators but the town determined that two signatures came from the same person, putting Ceresa one person short of the required number needed to be a candidate.

Cerasa stated in his social media post Sept. 4 that he carefully considered the town’s decision to reject his nomination.

“I want to be clear that I respectfully disagree with the Town’s position and its decision to reject my nomination. I believe there are legitimate grounds upon which that decision could be challenged, and I remain confident in the position I have taken,” Cerasa stated.

Cerasa claimed he “did not feel that I received the fair, respectful and considerate treatment that any resident seeking public office should reasonably expect” but the larger consideration for him are the residents of Amherstburg and they “must come first.”

“On August 25, 2026, the Town advised me in writing that, should I commence a legal proceeding challenging the decision, the Town would be a required party to that proceeding. This weighed heavily on my decision,” Cerasa said. “A legal challenge would inevitably require the Town to respond, retain legal counsel and devote municipal resources to defending its position. Those costs do not simply disappear. Ultimately, municipal expenses are borne by the taxpayers of Amherstburg — the very people I sought to represent and protect.”

Cerasa said he pledged to advocate for lower taxes, responsible spending and a fiscally conservative municipal government, so he didn’t want to subject taxpayers the cost of a legal fight to preserve his mayoral candidacy.

“It would be inconsistent for me to campaign on protecting taxpayers’ money while simultaneously pursuing litigation that could require those same taxpayers to fund the Town’s legal response,” he posted. “For that reason, I have decided that I will not commence a legal challenge against the Town. This decision should not be interpreted as agreement with the Town’s position, nor should it be interpreted as an acknowledgment that a challenge could not succeed. It is instead a conscious decision to put the interests of the community ahead of my own.”

Cerasa added he “could pursue this matter through the courts. I could ask the Town to spend taxpayer dollars defending its decision. I am choosing not to do so. I will accept the personal disappointment of not being permitted to stand as a candidate rather than knowingly contribute to additional costs being placed upon the residents of Amherstburg.” He also thanked those who signed his nomination forms and supported his candidacy.

“My campaign was supposed to be about putting taxpayers first. My decision today does exactly that,” he posted.

In an Aug. 24 letter from Cerasa to the town, he said he was providing an additional endorsement upon receiving notice of the clerk’s concern and “is intended to remove any possible doubt that my nomination has the support of at least 25 separate qualified persons.” He said that was not an admission the original nomination was invalid

Fox told the RTT in an e-mail that “nominations could be filed up to 2 p.m. on nomination day but not later.”

According to Fox: “There is no allowance in the law for any additional submissions beyond the close of nominations, and all candidates were advised at the time of submission that the submissions would be reviewed after the close of nominations, as required by the Act. This is when the municipality is in possession of the Preliminary List of Electors and can verify the eligibility of electors. Up to this time, the Act explicitly denotes that a municipality can rely upon the submission of a candidate.”

Cerasa says he will not contest issue of removal from the ballot

By Ron Giofu