A candidate for St. Paul school board is ineligible to run for office because he’s on probation for two felony drug charges, the Pioneer Press has found.

Elijah Norris-Holliday, 23, pleaded guilty in 2017 in two separate felony drug cases for selling marijuana and possessing amphetamine while he was a student at Winona State University.

He received stays of adjudication in both cases, giving him a shot at a clean record after a five-year term of probation.

But last month, after a third probation violation, a Winona County judge revoked the stays, making Norris-Holliday ineligible to vote or run for office until he exits probation in 2023.

Electronic court notes from an Aug. 9 revocation hearing read: “Do not vote, run for office, or serve on a jury until civil liberties are restored.”

In Minnesota, felons may not vote or run for office until they’ve finished serving their sentence, which includes probation and parole.

When Norris-Holliday filed as a candidate, he swore in a July 31 affidavit that he was eligible to vote.

Indeed, he would have been eligible at that time, said Peter Bartz-Gallagher, a secretary of state’s office spokesman who was given a description of the case. That’s because criminal defendants keep their voting privileges as long as their stay of adjudication remains in tact.

“When the stay is revoked, he becomes ineligible,” Bartz-Gallagher said.

Ramsey County officials said Friday they were not aware of Norris-Holliday’s criminal status.

Spokesman Jon Siqveland said the county’s job is to check that filing forms are properly completed and notarized. He said the county doesn’t act on eligibility concerns beyond suggesting that tipsters contact the state Office of Administrative Hearings.

“We are referring you — even though you’re reporting a story — as a member of the public, to that office,” Siqveland told a reporter.

It would be up to an administrative law judge to determine whether Norris-Holliday may run for school board.

Asked whether the candidate’s name would be removed from the ballot, interim Ramsey County elections manager David Triplett said, “I’ll do whatever the judge’s order tells me to do.”

Norris-Holliday said in a phone interview Friday that he stopped campaigning once he became ineligible Aug. 9. He said he’s working to have the stay of adjudication reinstated.

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Norris-Holliday is one of 10 candidates who filed for four at-large seats on the St. Paul school board.

One other candidate is eligible to run despite a recent felony conviction, a Pioneer Press review of court records found. Another owes thousands of dollars in fines and court fees for minor offenses.

BAD CHECK CHARGE

Omar Syed, 45, was charged with a felony for issuing a bad check from his auto sales company in February 2018.

According to court records, he sent a $786 check to Anoka County to license a vehicle using a business checking account that had been closed for over a year. The county sent numerous notices seeking payment but Syed wouldn’t pay.

Syed pleaded guilty and was placed in a diversion program in August 2018. The felony charge was dismissed in June after he met all conditions, including paying $816 in restitution.

Syed, who owns a coffee shop and works as a pharmacy technician, said the felony charge was caused by “a communication error” between him and his business partner.

$5,000 IN UNPAID FINES

Another candidate, 45-year-old Chauntyll Allen, who secured endorsements from the teachers union and St. Paul DFL Party, has a long history of driving offenses and refusal to pay fines.

An education assistant at Como Park Senior High, she owes $5,181 in fines and court fees from 14 separate traffic and minor criminal cases, electronic court records show.

Those 14 cases include marijuana possession in 2018 and numerous tickets for driving without insurance and with a revoked license.

In 17 additional cases, the amount Allen owed was reduced to $0 after either the county sent the unpaid bills to collections or prosecutors dismissed the cases.

Records show Allen has been cited 21 times since 1998 for driving after license revocation, most recently on Aug. 10.

In a 2010 case, she failed to appear in court six times and paid the $478 fine only after a bonding agency in 2013 threatened to have her arrested on a related warrant, records show.

Allen’s campaign said in an email Friday that she is working to pay the fines.

“Over the years, I have been pulled over many times due to racial profiling, which we know is a huge problem in Minnesota. The hefty fines from those traffic stops have not been affordable to me as a working mother making under $17 an hour, yet I am working to pay them down,” the statement read, in part.

School district records show Allen was paid $22.64 per hour last year.

OTHER CANDIDATES

Five other candidates have only traffic and parking offenses on their records.

They include incumbent Steve Marchese, a 52-year-old attorney, who’s racked up 22 traffic and parking tickets. He has paid the fines in each case.

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Sept. 30 is last day for public comment on Pigs Eye Lake makeover Jennifer McPherson, 37, still owes $266 on a 2015 speeding ticket, court records show. In May, a female relative sought a protection order against McPherson, saying the candidate had punched her in the face; a judge later dismissed the order, finding the allegations were not proved.

A search could not be completed for candidate Ryan Williams because of his common name. He did not respond to a request for additional information to aid in the search.