Injunction Hearing Set in WBAI Election Suit

After a hearing at 111 Center Street in Manhattan today, on an Order to Show Cause seeking a proposed temporary restraining order, we spoke with noted civil rights attorney Roger Wareham, who argued on behalf of the plaintiffs. Video of that interview is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqPEFYFFC8o

Also in attendance were members and supporters of the current management, including interim station manager LaVarn Williams, station board chair Mitchel Cohen, station board members Steve Brown and Carolyn Birden and WBAI host Ibrahim Gonzalez, as well as attorney Thomas Hillgardner, who represented Cohen, Brown and Birden, among others, in a suit challenging the 2007 station board elections.

When asked to comment for this report, Cohen and Hillgardner declined.

The suit's 83 page, 146 paragraph Complaint references the on-going problems with the local station board elections under current management, including the failure to send ballots to thousands of eligible voters and the sending of ballots to thousands more who are not eligible to vote. It also accuses the current management of using the airwaves to propagandize in support of the campaigns of members and allies of the current board majority, and of denying access to their opponents and other critics of the current interim management of WBAI and Pacifica.

The suit seeks a new election after the appointment of an independent monitor of the election, independent verification of the voter rolls, independent verification that all eligible voters receive a ballot, and independent verification that all ballots received come from eligible voters.

The injunction, returnable on December 7, would hold the current election process in abeyance until the court rules on the underlying case.