State senator's rival expects to be taken off Feb. 5 ballot
A former Lake County mayor who hoped to battle veteran state Sen. Terry Link in February's Democratic primary expects to be knocked off the ballot, he said after a hearing Thursday.
Although the state elections board hasn't formally ruled on the matter, challenger Jerry Johnson of North Chicago said he believes enough signatures will be disqualified from his candidate petition to force him out of the race for the 30th District state Senate seat.
Johnson's comments followed a review by an election board hearing officer in Chicago. The hearing officer could not be reached for comment.
Three Democratic activists who support Link formally challenged the validity of signatures on Johnson's candidate petition with the elections board.
The matter now goes to the full board, which next meets Dec. 21 to review this and other candidate challenges, Executive Director Dan White said.
Johnson wasn't happy with the apparent setback, but accepted it.
"We did the best job that we could do," said Johnson, who served as North Chicago's mayor from 1997 to 2001.
Link, of Waukegan, could not be reached for comment.
Candidates for the Senate seat needed to collect at least 1,000 signatures of registered voters living in the 30th District to appear on the ballot.
Johnson believes hundreds of the signatures on his petition could be ruled invalid, leaving him below the required minimum.
The case against Johnson's petition isn't the only controversy in the Senate race. Johnson has formally challenged Link's paperwork, too, alleging more than 2,500 of his signatures aren't valid.
Several of the people whose names appear on Link's petitions are dead, Johnson said. Another name belongs to Link's two-time Republican challenger, Charles Fitzgerald, who said he didn't sign the form.
Link has said he believes people signed his petition falsely as a joke. There was no malice or intent to commit fraud, he's said.
A hearing on the challenge against Link's petition was held Thursday afternoon in Chicago. Another is set for Saturday. No decisions have been made in that case, either.
Johnson said he's exploring his political options, including whether to run as a write-in candidate in the Democratic primary or as an independent candidate in November's general election.
Johnson said he'll run as a write-in candidate only if Link is disqualified from the primary ballot.
Most of the 30th District is in eastern Lake County, but it also includes a small part of northern Cook County.
No Republicans filed to appear on the Feb. 5 ballot for the 30th District seat. After the primary, the GOP can appoint a contender who would appear on the general election ballot in November.