A candidate for the Urban County Council has withdrawn his name from consideration after failing to meet a signature requirement on his candidacy petition. Nine months away from the elections, the number of candidates seeking to replace councilwoman KC Crosbie has been narrowed to one, barring a write-in campaign by another resident.Jason Scott Rainey voluntarily withdrew his candidacy after his opponent, Jennifer Scutchfield, requested an audit of Rainey's petition, which fell one name short of reaching the required 100 signatures of registered voters. Elections department manager with the county clerk's office, Tracy Merriman, says her department generally assumes the signatures are valid unless disputed.
"Someone who is running against them, their challenger, or a voter who can legally vote for them which is someone who lives in the district, can ask to have those names verified," Merriman says.
Rainey told the Lexington Herald-Leader he hasn't ruled out a write-in campaign. Scutchfield, now the sole candidate for the District 7 seat, collected 217 signatures on her petition.
