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New Hanover County Board of Elections Chairman John Ferrante has had complaints filed against him this week.

The New Hanover County Republican Party affirmed Friday its confidence in county Board of Elections Chairman John Ferrante, against whom multiple complaints have been filed this week.

Republican Party Chairman Samuel Ibrahim writes that Ferrante is a fair chairman who treated everyone who came before him equally.

"Mr. Ferrante is a true professional who cared deeply about his responsibilities," Ibrahim writes. "Mr. Ferrante worked diligently with the rest of the Board members in a non-partisan way to ensure the integrity of every ballot."

Richard Poole, New Hanover County Democratic Party chairman, and Carolyn Bordeaux, a registered Republican, filed complaints against Ferrante this week with several allegations.

Both raised concerns about an alleged confrontation between Ferrante and commissioner candidate Derrick Hickey during the recount, as well as Ferrante's alleged direction to board of elections staff to not fulfill certain public records requests.

Also in Poole's filing are concerns about communication policies Poole said enhance Ferrante's personal control over the board staff and administrative protocols adopted last month that forbid board of elections employees to communicate with any board members other than the chairman "on any subject matter within the jurisdiction of the board."

Bordeaux's other allegations touch on Ferrante's treatment of her during a board meeting. She also questions his influence of board secretary Marlene Mitchell's votes.

Ferrante is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of Charter Day School Inc. and Mitchell is the wife of Baker Mitchell, who owns The Roger Bacon Academy, which serves as the management company for Charter Day School Inc.'s four local schools. Baker Mitchell also founded those schools.

The StarNews has been wrangling with Charter Day over public records since May 2014. The newspaper has repeatedly asked the school group for salaries and bonuses, as well as financial information related to the nonprofit school group's operations. Among the items requested are records of payments and contracts related to expenses on the group's budgets, including rent and debt, management fees, and contracted services payments to Roger Bacon Academy and Coastal Habitat Conservancy, a second company owned by Mitchell.

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Republican Party maintains confidence in Elections Chairman Ferrante