Never got to this on Friday, but Matt Stiles reported that Ray Jones' petition to the State Supreme Court to be placed on the May 12 ballot for City Council was denied. The info is here, though it's nothing more than a "Denied" stamp. Stiles reports that Jones is raising money for a November run, and if so I wish him well.

Let's recap the main points of this story:

1. It would be nice if there were a grace period of 24 hours or so after the filing deadline, so that candidates who got the paperwork wrong in a way that's not material to their eligibility to run could fix it. I for one would support such a change to the law.

2. Whether or not such a change ever happens, turning in a ballot application at the last minute carries a risk for disqualification that should be considered unacceptably high. All candidates would be advised to get them in at least a day in advance, just in case.

3. And for goodness' sake, use a notary who's done this before. Leave no blank unfilled, people!