Delay Sought in Teamsters Election

Four days after Teamsters President Ron Carey was barred from a rerun election, a court-appointed overseer requested a 45-day delay in the election in order to investigate charges of improper fund-raising against challenger James P. Hoffa. Benetta Mansfield, the interim election officer, told U.S. District Judge David Edelstein that if the investigation was not complete at the end of 45 days, she would still be able to set a new timetable for voting. Nominations for new candidates are due Dec. 5, but with Carey vowing to appeal and Mansfield under orders to investigate Hoffa, there is little hope that the deadline could be met. The Carey campaign welcomed Mansfield’s petition. Hoffa spokesman Richard Leebove accused Mansfield and the Justice Department of conspiring to give Carey’s supporters time to find a successor.