Ernest Merritt, a candidate for mayor of Charleroi, is calling for an investigation into Democratic write-in candidate Christopher “C.M.” Kennedy, alleging Kennedy did not meet residency requirements and may have committed voter fraud in the May 20 election.
Kennedy reportedly entered the Charleroi Borough Council race just a month after registering to vote in Washington County, and listed his business address at 212 Fourth Street, where he claimed to sleep in a hammock, as his residence. Merritt said that raises legal questions.
Merritt said a larger part of the picture includes Charleroi Council President Kristin Hopkins supporting Kennedy’s candidacy.
“What we got going on right now is you had the council, or the president of Charleroi council (Hopkins), pushing a candidate for a write-in that is not a resident of the borough,” Merritt told the Southwest PA News.
On May 20, Hopkins posted on Facebook urging voters to support write-in candidates and shared a link introducing Kennedy.
“Write-in candidates alert! Let’s rock the vote and support those who want to move Charleroi forward!” Hopkins posted.
Merritt called Kennedy’s candidacy “illegal.”
“He lives in Pittsburgh. He’s got addresses in San Francisco, New York, Puerto Rico,” Merritt said. “So (Hopkins is) pushing an illegal candidate. We filed to get him thrown off the ballot, which he ended up not taking the nomination. But he also voted in Charleroi as a non-resident. Now we got a voter fraud case that we are in process of getting a meeting with the Washington County DA to try to pursue that case, see if he’ll actually take a voter fraud case. And if he doesn’t, then I’m going to start calling people.”
Kennedy withdrew his nomination after Merritt’s petition, but Merritt said questions about his eligibility remain.
“Voter fraud is not good,” Merritt said. “If you’re not going to stand up and do what you were elected to do and do your job, I will go further up the food chain.”
Merritt emphasized Kennedy’s residency situation, citing legal standards about what qualifies as a residential address.
“We got some sneaky stuff trying to happen here, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it, and just trying to get some exposure on it as we’re continuing our process too,” he said.
According to Merritt, there are discrepancies surrounding Kennedy’s voter registration and vehicle registration timelines that further raise doubts.
“He didn’t get a Pennsylvania license until July, but he was registered to vote,” Merritt said. “I think he did it on April 30th online, and he listed his last time voting as May 20th, which was Election Day. So, there are all kinds of discrepancies. He got a Pennsylvania (license) plate in June as well. On his pickup, he had a Florida plate.”
On July 7, Merritt, Charleroi Councilman Larry Celaschi, Lorraine Smith, Debbie Devigne and Joe Smith filed a civil appeal in Washington County Court of Common Pleas. The case, Celaschi et al. v. Kennedy, remains active.
The legal complaint questions Kennedy’s qualifications related to election law and residency requirements, despite Kennedy withdrawing his nomination shortly after the petition was filed.
Merritt also linked the controversy to broader community concerns. He referenced a 2024 documentary, Erasing Charleroi, which highlighted the arrival of nearly 2,500 Haitian immigrants to the borough—many arriving under the Biden administration’s CHNV Humanitarian Parole program—and ongoing federal investigations into local labor contractors accused of employing undocumented workers.
Merritt suggested the controversy involving Kennedy might involve wider political connections related to the immigrant situation in Charleroi.
“I believe that (Kennedy) could possibly be part of everything with the immigrants because he has so many different addresses and he’s a venture capitalist,” Merritt said.
Merritt also implicated his opponent in the November mayoral race, saying she publicly supported Kennedy during the primary election.
“My opponent for mayor is Nancy Ellis, and she’s running on both the council and mayoral tickets,” Merritt said. “I believe she was also passing out flyers for that write-in candidate.”
Ellis is a former mayor and council member and works as a community liaison for Fourth Street Foods. That company and Prosperity Services, a labor contractor accused of paying undocumented workers in cash and housing them while they worked, have been under federal investigation since October 2024.
Prosperity Services employs about 700 immigrants from 41 countries, relying heavily on Haitian workers. Authorities have seized nearly $1 million connected to Prosperity and its president, Andy Ha. Federal agents raided a location in Charleroi in March 2025.
This federal enforcement action coincided with a broader immigration policy shift, as the Trump administration plans to revoke TPS protections for 530,000 migrants, including some Haitians in the area, who must leave the U.S. by August 5 or risk deportation—further fueling legal filings and tensions in immigrant communities.
Merritt acknowledged the heightened attention on Charleroi and hinted at deeper revelations to come.
“We’re going to shake everything up down here in our corner,” Merritt said.
Merritt, who was a featured speaker at a rally for President Donald Trump in September 2024, said the issues his community has faced due to outside interference prompted his run for mayor, something he hadn’t originally planned.
“I’m just a truck driver from a small town in Western Pennsylvania,” Merritt said. “I’m not a public speaker, and it’s like, ‘oh, here, there’s the world in front of you. Go talk for the first time ever in public.’”
