Objections over two-person District 59 slate overruled
Three out of four objections against a pair of candidates for Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59 school board were overruled Thursday, keeping them on the ballot for now.
The Cook County Officers Electoral Board determined that the names of Courtney Lang and Randy Reid should appear on the April 2 ballot over the objections of Daniel Naumowicz of Elk Grove Village, a fellow school board candidate, and Elk Grove Village resident Bill Christian.
A fourth case, involving Naumowicz's objections to Lang's candidacy, was not on the Thursday morning agenda of the three-member panel, composed of representatives of the county clerk, state's attorney and clerk of the circuit court.
The board hadn't yet received the written recommendation of hearing officer Sally Saltzberg, who heard oral arguments in that case last week, according to James Scalzitti, a spokesman for the clerk's office.
But that recommendation, provided to the Daily Herald by Lang, mirrors the written opinions of Saltzberg in the other three cases and contends Lang should remain on the ballot.
Lang, of Arlington Heights, and Reid, of Elk Grove Village, are running as a slate in a crowded seven-person race for school board. There are three seats up for election, each with a 4-year term.
In their objections, Naumowicz and Christian argued that some petitions for Lang and Reid failed to list a proper venue of county and state for the election, while some pages provide confusion as to the length of term they are seeking. Naumowicz also took issue with signatures of those who listed their hometowns as "EGV" instead of "Elk Grove Village" and "AH" instead of "Arlington Heights."
As to a proper venue, Saltzberg, the hearing officer, wrote there is settled law that technical deviations aren't enough to strike a petition sheet.
On the length of term, she wrote there's little room for confusion, because only a full-term seat will appear on the ballot.
And for the town abbreviations used, Saltzberg said Naumowicz didn't provide any legal authority that those signatures should be invalidated.
Other candidates for District 59 board include incumbent Barbara Somogyi and newcomers Lisa Griffin, James Goranson and Patti Petrielli.