Campton Hills dissolution proposal faces challenge

A group of Campton Hills residents filed an objection Tuesday challenging the validity of hundreds of signatures on a petition seeking to dissolve the new municipality via referendum in the Feb. 5 primary election.

The objection alleges that, among other things, 269 of the 2,354 signatures on the petition came from residents who are not registered to vote, while 141 signatures were added by someone other than the person listed.

The five-page complaint was filed on behalf of residents Ed Fiala, Aubrey Neville, Michael Tyrrell and Jeff Blankenship. It seeks to have the dissolution question kept off the ballot.

Neither Chris Baldwin nor Steve Burdette, activists with the Stop Campton Hills Public Action Committee that filed the dissolution question petition, could immediately be reached for comment.

But Baldwin previously said the group was being "extra careful" in gathering signatures because he expected village proponents to "contest everything."

Meanwhile Tuesday, the objection prompted Campton Hills trustees to appoint an electoral board to investigate the allegations and make a ruling in coming weeks.

According to law, the board must include Village President Patsy Smith and Village Clerk Rebecca Lambe, village attorney Bill Braithwaite said. Trustees Bern Bertsche and Charles Cappell volunteered to round out the three-person panel; one will serve as an alternate.

Braithwaite said the group will hear evidence from the petitioners and objectors in a public meeting before making a decision. Either party could appeal that decision to try to have it reversed in court, he said.

Aside from invalid signatures, the complaint alleges Stop Campton Hills does not have the right to put the question on the ballot because there already are three village-placed advisory referendum questions planned for Feb. 5 -- the most questions allowed by statute in a single municipal election.

Campton Hills narrowly won incorporation rights in April.

Since then, opponents have sought to undo the incorporation, claiming, among other things, that the majority of residents want the town reverted to unincorporated territory and that an additional layer of government will lead to higher taxes.

Several village officials, including Smith, have openly said they oppose any effort to dissolve Campton Hills.