Resolution of District 211 campaign complaints weeks away
Resolution of campaign disclosure violation complaints against the winners in April's Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 election and three groups that supported them is expected in mid-September or October.
A final closed-door hearing is set for Wednesday, Sept. 6, before a hearing officer for the Illinois State Board of Elections will recommend rulings on whether the complaints against the six campaign committees were filed on justifiable grounds.
The complaints largely involve campaign signs that Hoffman Estates resident Mark Cramer claims didn't identify who paid for them.
Cramer filed his complaints last month against the committees of candidates Anna Klimkowicz, Robert LeFevre Jr. and Ed Yung, as well as those of Northwest Suburban Teacher's Union Local 1211, Trans United Fund Illinois and the Palatine-based Parents and Neighbors for Quality Education (PNQE).
Cramer's complaints allege the teachers union bought individual signs and Trans United Fund bought combined signs for all three candidates that were distributed by PNQE.
Depending on how long the hearing officer's recommendations take to write, they could reach the board of elections by its Sept. 18 or Oct. 17 meetings, General Counsel Ken Menzel said.
However, even when the board of elections determines a complaint to be justified, the matter is almost always resolved by the campaign committee having to amend a report or pay a fine, not in a winning candidate's removal from office, Menzel added.
"Campaign committees are committees, not people," he said.
Though all parties were asked to keep the content of their individual hearings confidential, LeFevre said he took that as a request rather than a command.
He said a photo of campaign signs presented as evidence against him showed signs other than those he was responsible for. While the signs may have been paid for by a committee trying to show support for him, he did not collude with any committee other than his own as the law demands, LeFevre said.
Yung said he would respect the request for confidentiality on his hearing until the issue is resolved. Klimkowicz could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
While further action by the board of elections could be needed if it finds a complaint justified, a finding that it isn't would end that complaint immediately, Menzel said.