One story begats a second

It never fails that at least once per week, I head out on one story, but come back with another.

Sometimes it's as simple as covering the Mayor's press conference on the topic-of-the-day only to have him announce something you didn't see coming. Other times, it's breaking news ... heading out to cover a school dedication only to come back with video of a fire rescue.

Today .. the fireworks exploded at the Board of Elections meeting. I attended the meeting to bring back a story on the Board's vote on what to do with the 200 uncounted absentee ballots that were delayed at the post office and I planned to include Mayoral Candidate Joe Finley's words to the board in support of them counting ballots.

Instead, the bottom fell out before Finley ever saw the stand. Board officers announced that the absentee ballot of a 70-year-old woman was in question because her signature on the ballot didn't match her signature from the day she registered. When they called her to ask about the discrepancy, she told them that Bruce Kilby -- as in Akron's Ward 2 Councilman Bruce Kilby (pictured here)-- had signed it for her. Seconds later, Board member and Summit County GOP Boss Alex Arshinkoff said "well that's a felony" and ordered an investigation.

A short time later, I was headed to East Akron to track down Kilby and find out about these charges, which included a second alleged violation (and possible crime) by the board for giving that 70-year-old woman a $1 stamp to mail her absentee ballot.

Sidebar: So where exactly do they put guys with these crimes in prison anyway? "Hey buddy .. whatcha in for?" (pause) "Oh .. I gave a grandmother a stamp to mail her ballot ... are you the guy who tore the tag off his mattress?"

Kilby opens his on-camera interview with the words no journalist ever expects to hear someone say on TV: "Well, I guess I'm guilty." (That's the moment my head should have spun around like Linda Blair, but I couldn't because I still had to do the evening news broadcasts. )

Kilby admitted to sending scores of $1 stamps to voters as a way to help them vote absentee, and he says he owned up to it on his campaign finance reports. He says that should validate that he didn't know it was a problem.

He flatly denies signing anyone's ballot or absentee applications and promises to get a hand-writing expert if it comes to that. He believes the allegations are politically motivated by the candidates he defeated on 9/11 and by Mayor Plusquellic, charges that surprise no one who follows local politics and/or knows Kilby.

So here I am .. racing back to the station at 5:35 p.m. trying to make it for a liveshot at 6 p.m. .. again, on the story I didn't expect to get when I left the office this afternoon.

Somehow it's the stories you don't expect that get the whole town talking ... or in this case, at least mailing.