Scores of write-in candidates face an uphill battle
Originally published Thursday, March 12, 2009
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
The Glenbard High School District 87 race was shaping up to be a quiet one. Only two candidates had filed to run for four open spots on the board.
As word spread that two seats were up for the taking, the tide turned. A once-uncontested race now offers voters 11 choices for the school board, with nine of those candidates running as write-ins.
The write-in option brings with it a unique set of challenges. As the name suggests, voters have to actually write down their chosen candidate's name instead of just filling in an oval or tapping a name on a screen.
That's an obvious advantage for those who have spots on the ballot, but it hasn't deterred scores of write-in candidates filing an intent to run in the April 7 elections.
In most cases, those aspiring officeholders are kicked off the ballot for not doing their paperwork correctly. The nominating paper process can be nit-picky, and candidates have been bounced from the ballot for such things as not numbering their pages.
Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said people know each other better on a local level and have more time to pore over election papers.
"There seems to be more scrutiny to ballot petitions and notarizations," he said.
The booted candidates aren't always ready to give up, so they take the alternate write-in route.
There are also the cases, as in District 87, where people see a chance to get involved on a local level without having to spend the time and money running against an incumbent.
Of course, there are always those who don't want to - or can't - spend time gathering signatures to have their names appear on the ballot and instead hedge their bets and run after deadlines to file have passed.
Thomas Garvey, who is running for a trustee spot in Carol Stream against three people on the ballot and another as write-in, had a serious illness in the family that took him away from being able to collect signatures.
"It kept me from being as active," he said. That didn't take away his drive to run in any way that he could against incumbents Pamela Fenner and Matt McMarthy as well as Anthony Manzzullo and Greg Donzelli.
In any case, the write-in route will undoubtedly mean that candidates have to spend some of their time educating voters on the process instead of solely focusing on campaign issues.
Most who go this course agree that they'll be pounding the streets, knocking on doors and getting out the word that they are running for office even if their names are nowhere to be seen in the voting booth.
Don Pydo's tactic will be giveaways, such as pens and small brochures, that will remind District 87 voters what to do on April 7.
"I pretty much take it as a grass-roots efforts," he said. "It's a unique situation."
Robert Friend, one of Pydo's opponents, said, in retrospect, it would have been easier to just collect the 60 signatures needed to be on the ballot.
"I wouldn't have to worry about anything," he said.
In fact, Friend, who is a member of the Lombard Elementary District 44 board, had even joked about moving up to a seat on the high school board.
Now he will be running against incumbent Tom Voltaggio, newcomer Yadav Nathwani and several write-ins: Rose Stelter, Philomena Merrithey, Thomas Stachelski, Luke Baer, Donald Birns, Richard Heim, John Snyder, as well as Pydo.
The District 87 case is unique, however, because at least two of the write-in candidates are likely to land a spot on the board.
That's not always the case.
Michael Elmore is taking on incumbent Village President Larry Keller in West Dundee. The task would have been daunting enough before Elmore was taken off the ballot.
"I fell into the reprimandable category of non-page numbering knucklehead," he said. "It's not of my choice to do it like this."
Elmore has faith, though, that enough people are disheartened by Keller to write his name on the ballot sheet.
"When I got voided from the ballot, a lot of people that heard that were like, 'That's crazy,'" Elmore said.
This way, he said, there's no way anyone can keep him from running.
"I think I have a great shot of winning," he said. "If you look at the past number of votes that (Keller) received in order to defeat the last candidates, it was only 400 and some votes."
His view is that voters who are tired of the status quo will make an effort to vote him in.
Unlike Elmore, Erik Peters, an 18-year-old from Antioch, was late in getting his name into the mayoral race.
He attended a board meeting in early February and found he simply didn't agree with Lawrence Hanson and Robert Caulfield Jr., who will be on the ballot as the mayoral candidates.
Because he only had a few days to collect signatures to run, Peters is running as a write-in, along with Kris Murphy.
"With write-in candidates, it's awesome that everyone gets the chance," Peters said. "You really see who's willing to make a commitment for their town."
Peters concedes that he has a bit of an advantage because he's an anomaly of sorts. The 18-year-old has been getting attention because he's so young and interested in local politics.
But he still thinks people will support him because he represents an alternative to the candidates on the ballot.
"They'll vote for any politician, regardless of age, if they feel the same way I do," he said.
Although it's an uphill battle, winning as a write-in is not unheard of. Perhaps the two most famous instances in the suburbs are when John Geils was voted in as village president of Bensenville in 2001 and Gerald "Skip" Farley did the same for his spot in Mount Prospect after he was booted off the ballot in 1997.
Farley was another candidate who was taken off the ballot for not numbering pages. Turned out, though, "I received more votes in write-ins than I had in a regular campaign," he said.
But, it takes a good amount of effort. Farley said he had 100 supporters pounding the pavement, handing out instruction cards for residents to use in the voting booth.
"We pretty well covered Mount Prospect," he said. "If you're serious about serving, it's definitely worth it."
• Daily Herald Staff Writer Jake Griffin contributed to this report.
Friday, June 5, 2009
War of words in Carol Stream library race
War of words in Carol Stream library race
Originally published Friday, March 27, 2009
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
The signs make it clear where the challenging candidates stand: "Stop library referendums and taxes."
The incumbents, and the Carol Stream library staff, think that's unfair and misleading. They've prepared their own counter document: a one-page flyer, passed out to library patrons, giving their response to allegations that they're plotting to raise taxes to build a new library.
The race for four seats on the Carol Stream library board has evolved into a war of written words.
The challenging slate has put up the red, "stop referendums" placards, which are plentiful in the area surrounding the library. Library patrons, in turn, have been asking librarians about the possibility of a ballot question. So the library, in turn, is handing out a "facts about the library" sheet to all patrons that outlines past referendum questions and issues on property taxes. The sheet can also be viewed at cslibrary.org.
"I was glad to see that because there really isn't a way to tell people that the information that they're seeing is not correct," incumbent Mary Hudspeath said.
But the fact sheet has raised the eyebrows of challengers because it supports the ideals of the incumbents even though it does not endorse anyone.
"It's obviously geared toward trying to support the incumbents," challenger Michael Wade said. "In fact, I lodged a complaint with the board of elections. It's illegal for (the library) to campaign."
However, the sitting board members said the idea for the flyer came from library Director Ann Kennedy and not from anyone running in the election.
"We ran it through our attorneys," incumbent Robert Douglas said. "It was done by the library because of the misinformation that has been circulated around the village. It's just simply facts about the library."
Ken Menzel, legal counsel for the Illinois state board of elections, said state law about using tax money for election materials is pretty clear. It says, "No public funds shall be used to urge any elector to vote for or against any candidate or position, or be appropriated for political or campaign purposes to any candidate or political organization."
When school districts ask for more money, Menzel said, it's OK for them to pass out fliers that explain what that bond money will be used for and discuss the district's financial situation, Menzel said.
"They cannot say, 'Please get out and vote yes on our bond referendum,'" he said.
He acknowledged, though, there's always room for argument.
"There's something of a gray, no man's land in that," Menzel said. "It's not uncommon for people to complain that something is slanted."
Incumbents say the library fler was prompted by other details released by the challengers. They've said, for example, that the library is looking to hire an executive director even though it already has a director.
That, according to Douglas, actually was a discussion about the potential hiring of an executive director for the DuPage Library System, part of a report at the library board's March 18 meeting.
But Wade said that's not what he heard.
"What I heard was that Ann Kennedy said they will have candidates for an executive director's position by August," he said.
Incumbent Tom Arends said misunderstandings like this come up, but he wishes the challengers would address them with the board first before airing them in public as fact.
"It is important that they ask us these questions," Arends said. "It's a lack of communication. Just the fact that it gets sent out as a statement of fact is the misinformation."
The issue of Kennedy's salary has also come up, with claims that it's the highest in the area, especially compared to Wheaton. However, the latest survey of local libraries from 2008 shows Kennedy's salary at $98,800, and the director of the Wheaton library at $116,298.
Another argument by the challengers is that Carol Stream spends more money per capita than the larger Wheaton. The library's own data supports that, showing that Carol Stream spends $98.85 per person, with a budget of about $4 million and close to 41,000 residents in town. Wheaton has 55,416 residents, a budget of about $4.2 million and spends $76.86 per resident.
However, smaller libraries, such as Glen Ellyn and Geneva, spend more per capita than Carol Stream.
Candidate David DeRango said the challengers are trying to show that the library is not being transparent.
"We have one of the highest payrolls in the area," he said. "That's not misleading. The numbers are there."
Challenger Dominick Jeffrey said putting out the idea of a referendum is also more than warranted because the library has had three rejected in the past, and the board could decide to have one at any time.
"Just because they're not running one this year is not misleading," he said.
Leslie Shambo, an incumbent, said that the board has insists a referendum will not be slated for many years, so it's not fair for that idea to be thrown out.
"I've seen a lot of misconstrued facts," she said.
Originally published Friday, March 27, 2009
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
The signs make it clear where the challenging candidates stand: "Stop library referendums and taxes."
The incumbents, and the Carol Stream library staff, think that's unfair and misleading. They've prepared their own counter document: a one-page flyer, passed out to library patrons, giving their response to allegations that they're plotting to raise taxes to build a new library.
The race for four seats on the Carol Stream library board has evolved into a war of written words.
The challenging slate has put up the red, "stop referendums" placards, which are plentiful in the area surrounding the library. Library patrons, in turn, have been asking librarians about the possibility of a ballot question. So the library, in turn, is handing out a "facts about the library" sheet to all patrons that outlines past referendum questions and issues on property taxes. The sheet can also be viewed at cslibrary.org.
"I was glad to see that because there really isn't a way to tell people that the information that they're seeing is not correct," incumbent Mary Hudspeath said.
But the fact sheet has raised the eyebrows of challengers because it supports the ideals of the incumbents even though it does not endorse anyone.
"It's obviously geared toward trying to support the incumbents," challenger Michael Wade said. "In fact, I lodged a complaint with the board of elections. It's illegal for (the library) to campaign."
However, the sitting board members said the idea for the flyer came from library Director Ann Kennedy and not from anyone running in the election.
"We ran it through our attorneys," incumbent Robert Douglas said. "It was done by the library because of the misinformation that has been circulated around the village. It's just simply facts about the library."
Ken Menzel, legal counsel for the Illinois state board of elections, said state law about using tax money for election materials is pretty clear. It says, "No public funds shall be used to urge any elector to vote for or against any candidate or position, or be appropriated for political or campaign purposes to any candidate or political organization."
When school districts ask for more money, Menzel said, it's OK for them to pass out fliers that explain what that bond money will be used for and discuss the district's financial situation, Menzel said.
"They cannot say, 'Please get out and vote yes on our bond referendum,'" he said.
He acknowledged, though, there's always room for argument.
"There's something of a gray, no man's land in that," Menzel said. "It's not uncommon for people to complain that something is slanted."
Incumbents say the library fler was prompted by other details released by the challengers. They've said, for example, that the library is looking to hire an executive director even though it already has a director.
That, according to Douglas, actually was a discussion about the potential hiring of an executive director for the DuPage Library System, part of a report at the library board's March 18 meeting.
But Wade said that's not what he heard.
"What I heard was that Ann Kennedy said they will have candidates for an executive director's position by August," he said.
Incumbent Tom Arends said misunderstandings like this come up, but he wishes the challengers would address them with the board first before airing them in public as fact.
"It is important that they ask us these questions," Arends said. "It's a lack of communication. Just the fact that it gets sent out as a statement of fact is the misinformation."
The issue of Kennedy's salary has also come up, with claims that it's the highest in the area, especially compared to Wheaton. However, the latest survey of local libraries from 2008 shows Kennedy's salary at $98,800, and the director of the Wheaton library at $116,298.
Another argument by the challengers is that Carol Stream spends more money per capita than the larger Wheaton. The library's own data supports that, showing that Carol Stream spends $98.85 per person, with a budget of about $4 million and close to 41,000 residents in town. Wheaton has 55,416 residents, a budget of about $4.2 million and spends $76.86 per resident.
However, smaller libraries, such as Glen Ellyn and Geneva, spend more per capita than Carol Stream.
Candidate David DeRango said the challengers are trying to show that the library is not being transparent.
"We have one of the highest payrolls in the area," he said. "That's not misleading. The numbers are there."
Challenger Dominick Jeffrey said putting out the idea of a referendum is also more than warranted because the library has had three rejected in the past, and the board could decide to have one at any time.
"Just because they're not running one this year is not misleading," he said.
Leslie Shambo, an incumbent, said that the board has insists a referendum will not be slated for many years, so it's not fair for that idea to be thrown out.
"I've seen a lot of misconstrued facts," she said.
Glen Ellyn board may be banning romance between department heads
Glen Ellyn board may be banning romance between department heads
Originally published Sunday, May 24, 2009
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Sparked by a texting controversy involving two department heads, the Glen Ellyn village board may soon be voting on an ethics policy that forbids romantic relationships between department heads.
The policy, proposed by Village Manager Steve Jones, defines those relationships as ones "that can reasonably be determined to be of a romantic, sexual or dating nature."
Department heads, Jones said, "are subject to more stringent requirements, with their stature as role models, access to sensitive information," he said.
"If the relationship ended badly, you have the whole distraction issue," he added.
Jones last year recommended demotions for Police Chief Phil Norton and Staci Hulseberg, planning and development director, for "excessive workplace interaction."
The pair communicated via text message 9,637 times between January and August, communiqués that cost totaled more than $1,000. While the board discussed their fate last year, hundreds of residents and business owners showed their support for the employees.
The board ultimately decided against the demotions, but the issue didn't come without plenty of controversy and strong opinions.
And now, Trustees Tim Armstrong and Pete Ladesic say they aren't happy with the way the policy reads, with Armstrong calling it "vindictive."
"It's an attempt to remedy the situation that didn't go the way the village manager wanted it to go back in December," he said.
Jones contends that's not the case, but that the management team in Glen Ellyn is so small, some measure needs to be taken to protect employees.
Ladesic said he also didn't understand Jones' reasons for having more scrutiny of department heads.
"To have a relationship with a co-worker is not anything that doesn't happen every day," he said. "If it's something that disrupts the corporation, it should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. There was no lack of job performance (with Hulseberg and Norton)."
The final decision on an ethics policy, if it's agreed to be necessary, will come in the upcoming months by the village board, which includes new members elected last month.
Many on the former board had agreed with Jones, saying the management staff has to live up to higher standards.
"I believe (a relationship) has the potential to create an internal problem that shouldn't be there," Trustee Jim Comerford said.
Conflicts of interest
While the village board discusses ethics for its staff, there's also potential for new rules to apply to elected officials.
These will center around avoiding the appearance of conflicts of interest. Although already regulated by state law, a village ordinance would have language about gifts, hiring of relatives and transactions that involve officials.
The village may also institute an ethics officer to rule on conflicts. Those who violate the policy will be fined $1,000.
Peter Cooper, one of the new trustees, says he thinks some type of regulation is necessary.
"I think sometimes there is a concern that getting approvals from the board or the village can be an insider's game," he said. "It's essential that we get rid of that image."
Trustees are quick to point out that while there may be nothing unscrupulous going on with the board, there are sometimes perceptions in town that counter that notion.
"It's almost impossible to not have something that is conflicting," Comerford said.
The distinction, he said, is to make sure the village has a concrete plan for looking into conflicts.
"I think it's really important that we have an ethics policy that conveys confidence to the community," he said.
Two of the conflicts that most recently have come to light involve Trustee Armstrong: One is related to a Montessori School that was recently approved, and the other involving a new ambulance contract Glen Ellyn just signed.
Armstrong represented Ron and Elizabeth Repking, who wanted to move the Montessori school they own to a new location in town; Armstrong's brother-in-law also owns the ambulance company the village dropped for a new vendor.
In the former case, Armstrong recused himself from proceedings; in the latter, he disclosed his relationship but didn't recuse himself, because the village attorney said it wasn't legally required.
"Even though he's recusing himself, there's an appearance that he has an influence over the rest of us," Comerford said.
Armstrong himself brought up the two instances, pointing out that he acted in a way that was legal. He noted that putting too much scrutiny on elected officials might push residents away from pursuing public office.
"I think the level of purity they're trying to reach is unattainable," he said.
Some are advocating for an independent person or panel who can evaluate such concerns; Armstrong agreed with the idea of an ethics officer.
Cooper said that even when nobody acts unethically, there still may be an image in town that something untoward was going on.
"We have to create not only the fact of impartiality but an appearance of impartiality and strong ethics," he said.
Originally published Sunday, May 24, 2009
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Sparked by a texting controversy involving two department heads, the Glen Ellyn village board may soon be voting on an ethics policy that forbids romantic relationships between department heads.
The policy, proposed by Village Manager Steve Jones, defines those relationships as ones "that can reasonably be determined to be of a romantic, sexual or dating nature."
Department heads, Jones said, "are subject to more stringent requirements, with their stature as role models, access to sensitive information," he said.
"If the relationship ended badly, you have the whole distraction issue," he added.
Jones last year recommended demotions for Police Chief Phil Norton and Staci Hulseberg, planning and development director, for "excessive workplace interaction."
The pair communicated via text message 9,637 times between January and August, communiqués that cost totaled more than $1,000. While the board discussed their fate last year, hundreds of residents and business owners showed their support for the employees.
The board ultimately decided against the demotions, but the issue didn't come without plenty of controversy and strong opinions.
And now, Trustees Tim Armstrong and Pete Ladesic say they aren't happy with the way the policy reads, with Armstrong calling it "vindictive."
"It's an attempt to remedy the situation that didn't go the way the village manager wanted it to go back in December," he said.
Jones contends that's not the case, but that the management team in Glen Ellyn is so small, some measure needs to be taken to protect employees.
Ladesic said he also didn't understand Jones' reasons for having more scrutiny of department heads.
"To have a relationship with a co-worker is not anything that doesn't happen every day," he said. "If it's something that disrupts the corporation, it should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. There was no lack of job performance (with Hulseberg and Norton)."
The final decision on an ethics policy, if it's agreed to be necessary, will come in the upcoming months by the village board, which includes new members elected last month.
Many on the former board had agreed with Jones, saying the management staff has to live up to higher standards.
"I believe (a relationship) has the potential to create an internal problem that shouldn't be there," Trustee Jim Comerford said.
Conflicts of interest
While the village board discusses ethics for its staff, there's also potential for new rules to apply to elected officials.
These will center around avoiding the appearance of conflicts of interest. Although already regulated by state law, a village ordinance would have language about gifts, hiring of relatives and transactions that involve officials.
The village may also institute an ethics officer to rule on conflicts. Those who violate the policy will be fined $1,000.
Peter Cooper, one of the new trustees, says he thinks some type of regulation is necessary.
"I think sometimes there is a concern that getting approvals from the board or the village can be an insider's game," he said. "It's essential that we get rid of that image."
Trustees are quick to point out that while there may be nothing unscrupulous going on with the board, there are sometimes perceptions in town that counter that notion.
"It's almost impossible to not have something that is conflicting," Comerford said.
The distinction, he said, is to make sure the village has a concrete plan for looking into conflicts.
"I think it's really important that we have an ethics policy that conveys confidence to the community," he said.
Two of the conflicts that most recently have come to light involve Trustee Armstrong: One is related to a Montessori School that was recently approved, and the other involving a new ambulance contract Glen Ellyn just signed.
Armstrong represented Ron and Elizabeth Repking, who wanted to move the Montessori school they own to a new location in town; Armstrong's brother-in-law also owns the ambulance company the village dropped for a new vendor.
In the former case, Armstrong recused himself from proceedings; in the latter, he disclosed his relationship but didn't recuse himself, because the village attorney said it wasn't legally required.
"Even though he's recusing himself, there's an appearance that he has an influence over the rest of us," Comerford said.
Armstrong himself brought up the two instances, pointing out that he acted in a way that was legal. He noted that putting too much scrutiny on elected officials might push residents away from pursuing public office.
"I think the level of purity they're trying to reach is unattainable," he said.
Some are advocating for an independent person or panel who can evaluate such concerns; Armstrong agreed with the idea of an ethics officer.
Cooper said that even when nobody acts unethically, there still may be an image in town that something untoward was going on.
"We have to create not only the fact of impartiality but an appearance of impartiality and strong ethics," he said.
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