Kaneland board members challenge colleague's election petitions
Three Kaneland school board members seeking re-election have challenged the election petitions of three other people running for the office, including that of incumbent Tony Valente.
School board members Peter Lopatin and Teresa Graue Witt, both of Sugar Grove, and Gale Pavlak of Elburn filed the objections, according to a news release from Kane County Clerk John A. Cunningham.
Kaneland Education Association negotiator Lynn McHenry, a Kaneland High School teacher, also filed objections to the petitions of Valente, who lives in Sugar Grove, and former Sugar Grove Township Supervisor Dan Nagel and Jerry Elliott, who both live in unincorporated Sugar Grove Township.
An objection also has been filed to the candidacy of Elgin U-46 candidate Brian Sauvageau, but the news release from Cunningham's office didn't list who filed it.
The challenges will be heard by the Kane County electoral board starting at 10 a.m. Jan. 7, beginning with the one against Sauvageau, at the Kane County Government Center, Building B, 719 S. Batavia Ave., Geneva.
The news release does not specify the nature of the challenges.
An examination of the petitions shows Valente, Elliott and Nagel collected signatures on State Board of Elections Form 7A, which states it is for elections "for school boards that elect from districts rather than at-large of by township."
Form SBE7 - which the rest of the candidates in the Kaneland race used - has no such language.
The Kaneland school board is elected by township, and no more than three people from any one township can serve on the board.
In his first term on the board, Valente has had a contentious relationship with his fellow board members.
He has gotten into heated arguments during meetings with Witt, Lopatin and Pavlak, as well as board President Cheryl Krauspe, who has threatened to have him removed from at least one school board meeting.
He criticized Henry over the district's hiring of her daughter as a paraprofessional.
Eight people are seeking four 4-year seats on the school board.
The other candidates are Pamela Voorhees of Maple Park and Ryan Kerry of Elburn.