7 Democrats returned to Will County Board ballot
SUN-TIMES MEDIA September 13, 2012 1:14PM
An appeals court ruling will put seven Democratic candidates for Will County Board back on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Scott Pyles, chairman of the Democratic Party and one of the attorneys who worked on the appeal, said he was informed of the 3rd District Appellate Court’s decision Wednesday.
The ruling reverses one by the Will County Electoral Board that had then been upheld in Will County court.
Pyles said the court has ordered that the candidates’ names be immediately placed on the ballot.
Earlier, Pyles had said a ruling by the appellate court would be final as any subsequent Illinois Supreme Court ruling would be too late for the election.
The electoral board had voted 2-1 in favor of removing the candidates because of problems with the way they were appointed to the ballot. Judge Bobbie Petrungaro later affirmed that decision.
None of the Democrats ran in the primary, so the Will County Democratic Party met in May to form committees that appointed candidates in some races. Notification to precinct committeemen of that meeting was vague or nonexistent, argued Republicans who challenged the appointments.
Democrats argued their meeting notice substantially complied with the law and that there is some leeway given to political parties to handle ballot appointments.
Candidates who were returned to the ballot are: Mario Carlasare, of Frankfort; Donald Moran, of Romeoville; Chester Strzelczyk III, of Lockport; Chris Griffin, of Naperville; Santino Lettieri, of Mokena; and John Sanchez Jr., of Mokena.
A seventh candidate who was part of the suit, Reed Bible, of Plainfield, recently was named to replace on the ballot a Democratic candidate who had withdrawn from the race. Pyles said he did not know if Democrats now would be able to name someone to replace Bible.
