Carroll County prosecuting attorney Tony Rogers filed a petition in Carroll County Circuit Court last week, seeking the annulment of Beau Zar Satori’s certification as a candidate for mayor of Eureka Springs.

The petition, filed Tuesday, Oct. 4, names Satori and the Carroll County Election Commission as defendants. It asks the court to order the election commission to annul Satori’s certification as a candidate and to refrain from certifying any votes cast for Satori.The version of the petition available to the public is heavily redacted.

“Pursuant to the provisions of [Redacted], Respondent Satori may not file as a candidate for, run for, or hold elected office in any city or municipality in the State of Arkansas,” the petition says.

The petition notes that the election commission has already prepared the ballot for the Nov. 8 general election.

“… (T)he only means of preventing any votes cast for Respondent Satori from taking effect … would be to have Respondent Board annul his certification and refrain from certifying, or tabulate but set aside, any votes cast by electors for Respondent Satori,” the petition says.

A hearing was scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, in Eureka Springs, although Satori said he had not been served, and Carroll County Clerk Connie Doss said the election commission also had not been served.

“They went back 20 years to a tax case that they used to try to get me to resign,” Satori said Thursday, Oct. 6. “I don’t anticipate it going far. For them to sue me and the election commission is just a way of trying to rob the community of their vote.”

On Monday, Oct. 10, Eureka Springs resident Benjamin Sharum filed a petition to intervene. Sharum’s petition, which also names the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office as a defendant, argues that if the court decides that Satori is ineligible to be a candidate for mayor, leaving his name on the ballot would “allow voters to incorrectly believe their votes were being counted thus luring the voters into a false impression.”

Sharum’s petition says the relief requested by Rogers “would also siphon potential votes away from the remaining candidates,” and could lead to further litigation regarding whether votes cast for Satori should be counted in determining the need for a runoff should one candidate fail to receive a majority of votes in the general election.

Satori is among three challengers to Eureka Springs Mayor Butch Berry’s bid for a third term in office. The other candidates are Brandon Cox and Tracy Johnson.

Rogers could not be reached for comment.