Lentz supporter: Forging her signature was ‘appalling’

CORRECTION APPENDED (See bottom)

A supporter of Democrat Bryan Lentz said Thursday that she was outraged when she learned her signature had been forged on a nominating petition for Republican Pat Meehan, calling it “disgraceful.”

“Part of what’s appalling to me and that I find disgraceful is I happen to be a neighbor of Patrick Meehan,” Terry Bradley said. “We go to the same church, I see his family when I’m with my family. I don’t know who did this. But it’s appaling to me that someone, in furtherance of Patrick Meehan’s cause, helped themselves to my identity.”

Her husband Ed Bradley is a longtime friend to Lentz, and one of his closest political advisers and staunchest supporters. It was the discovery that Terry Bradley’s signatures was allegedly forged that led Lentz campaign operatives to scour the signatures Meehan submitted to get on the ballot in the 7th District—a process that culminated when Republican supporters of Lentz filed a complaint seeking to keep Meehan off the ballot.

Bradley’s signature was on one of the petitions that Meehan flagged as questionable when he asked Delaware County District Attorney Mike Green to investigate the matter last week.

“Pat Meehan was equally concerned when he learned of the potential that Terry Bradley’s name had been forged on his nominating petition last week,” Meehan spokesman Pete Peterson said Thursday night. “As soon as he learned of the problem with her signature, as well as three others, he promptly turned the matter over to the District Attorney for review. Pat continues to believe that anyone who engaged in criminal conduct should be held accountable.”

It’s unlikely the Lentz camp would have looked so deeply into Meehan’s 7th District nominating petitions were it not for the discovery of Bradley’s name on one of them. Though a voter database still lists her as a registered Republican, she very recently left the party after years and registered as a Democrat; she signed a nominating petition to get Lentz on the ballot. Her comments came during a conference call with reporters that was hurriedly arranged by the Lentz campaign, seemingly in response to a press conference held by Meehan supporters in Media. Bradley said she’d be willing to testify if and when the matter goes to a full court hearing.

“I had never seen that petition, and it wasn’t my signature,” Bradley said. “I know I never signed it. I never gave anyone permission to sign my signature, and it’s pretty appalling that this happened.”

Correction: This article rendered incorrectly a word from a quote by Terry Bradley. As the headline stated, Bradley said it was “appalling” that her signature was forged. She did not say it was “appealing.”