State Launches Ayala Probe

From Brian Lockart, CT Post:

State elections watchdogs are investigating whether legislator-elect Christina Ayala committed voter fraud and if her mother, Democratic Registrar Santa “Sandi” Ayala, enabled her to get away with it.

The Elections Enforcement Commission Wednesday decided valid questions have been raised about whether Christina Ayala has been living in the 128th House District she will represent in the General Assembly. Ayala, a Democrat, is supposed to be sworn in Jan. 9 with other new legislators in Hartford.

She has already been warned by incoming House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, that under state law she has until that date to move into her district.

Hearst Connecticut newspapers recently reported that Ayala actually lived in the 129th District. Ayala’s readiness for office was already under scrutiny after she was arrested following a hit-and-run collision, and for a separate domestic dispute,

The EEC investigates complaints but also has the power to initiate its own probe, which spokesman Joshua Foley said is the case with the Ayalas.

“If an issue is getting a lot of press that would undermine the public’s trust in the electoral process, that can be one of the considerations,” Foley said Thursday.

Specifically EEC staff are looking into whether Ayala was a “bona fide” resident of 604 Noble Ave. in the 128th District when she voted in four elections, including her own party primary in August and her November race.

The EEC also wants to know whether her mother, Santa Ayala, who should reasonably have known of her daughter’s living situation, failed as registrar to maintain an accurate record on her daughter.

“I do not have any comment on anything having to do with the whole situation,” Santa Ayala told Hearst Newspapers when reached late last week by phone.

According to the registrar’s office, Christina lives at 604 Noble Ave. in the 128th District. Because of her address, she was allowed to vote there in the November 2011 general election and in this year’s Aug. 14 primary, the city’s special September election for school board, and in November’s general election.

However, when Ayala and her boyfriend were arrested for a domestic squabble two weeks ago, the police report stated they lived at 49 Hillside Ave in the 129th district. And when Ayala filed for a protective order, she told the court she lived at Hillside.

The same Hillside address was listed on a police report when Ayala was arrested the night after winning her August primary and charged with evading responsibility, failure to obey a traffic signal and failure to renew her vehicle’s registration.

Both of her court cases are pending.

Public records show utilities at Hillside were connected under Ayala’s name in October, 2011–the same month that, according to the EEC, she registered to vote using the Noble Avenue address.

When a Hearst reporter visited the Noble Avenue address recently, there was no access inside and no visible exterior evidence confirming that Ayala was a tenant. Occupants of a first-floor apartment refused questions. Other members of her family–her sister, her father, Democratic power broker Tito, and her cousin, state Senator-elect Andres Ayala, have either declined to comment or said they do not know where she lives.

Foley said letters will be sent to Christina and Sandi notifying them of the investigation.

Christina could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Santa Ayala, in a brief phone interview, said, “I have not received the correspondence. When I do I will discuss it with my counterpart (Republican registrar Linda Grace) in the office and respond accordingly.”

Foley did not provide a timeline for the EEC probe. He said most frequently the parties reach a settlement. Failing that the EEC can hold hearings, and those results can be appealed to state Superior Court.

If the EEC finds Ayala was not living in her district, it is unclear what if any impact that would have on her ability to serve in the legislature.

After Sharkey’s warning, Ayala claimed at a court appearance last week that she is living on Noble Avenue.

Also Thursday, Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr. called on Ayala to resolve her legal and residency issues before Jan. 9 or resign.

“Representative-elect Christina Ayala has not yet been sworn to office and her decision-making and judgment are already being called to question,” Labriola said in a statement to the media. “Misleading voters and state elections officials about where she lives is a serious issue and a violation of the public trust. Compounded by two arrests, her own actions have created cause for concern about whether she should be a state government leader.”