Keane knocked off South Elgin ballot

The race for South Elgin trustee just got a lot less competitive.

The village's three-member electoral board this week disqualified trustee candidate Patrick Keane from running, citing an unpaid water bill.

That means incumbents Bill DiFulvio, Scott Richmond and John Sweet face no opposition in the April election.

In its ruling, the panel pointed to a state law that requires office seekers to have all their municipal bills paid before filing, Village Clerk Margo Gray said.

"The water won't work if the residents of the village pick and choose when and if they pay their water bill," said Gray, a member of the electoral board.

Keane admitted that for three months he had not paid $197.89 owed on his residential water bill.

He said he simply forgot to pay because he got caught up repairing extensive damage done to his house by last fall's floods.

Keane said he paid the bill Jan. 27, the same day, he alleges, Richmond called him and told him to drop out of the race or else he would use the water issue to challenge his candidacy.

Richmond admits to calling Keane on the issue, but says he never threatened him.

"I did call him and I gave him a heads up that there was going to be an objection, and I said it isn't something that most people would want in public," Richmond said. " I didn't tell him he had to drop his petitions - that's not my job to say."

Keane, meanwhile, is frustrated about the panel invalidating his candidacy and said he would love to challenge it, but cannot afford an attorney.

"My true problem with all of this is we should widen the spectrum of people participating in the democratic process," he said. "I don't like it when incumbents make the rules for those participating."