Candidate to stay on Geneva Twp. assessor ballot

Gary Fritz will stay on the April 7 ballot for Geneva Township assessor after the township's electoral board ruled Friday there was insufficient evidence to throw out his electoral petitions.

Current Assessor Aubrey Pratte had asked the board to disqualify Fritz on several grounds, including:

• that many of the people who signed his petitions do not live in Geneva Township;

• that many of their signatures did not match those on their voter registration applications on file with the Kane County clerk's office;

• that he found it suspicious that most of the 23 petition pages were circulated by one person, and notarized by one person on just two days.

The electoral board began examining the petitions' addresses and signatures Monday, but Pratte withdrew the objections when it became clear board members would not reject enough signatures to remove Fritz from the ballot.

On Friday, notary public Gina Enochs and petition circulator Kerry Alcona of Elgin testified as to when and where the petition pages were notarized. Alcona said she collected signatures on 17 pages, and Enochs notarized all but the one she herself signed. The other pages were circulated by Fritz' wife, Julie, and notarized by Enochs. The majority of petitions were notarized in the cafeteria of the DuPage County courthouse, where Enochs works, and the rest at her home.

Pratte, who is not seeking re-election, said he was satisfied with the outcome.

"My main reason (for objecting) was that (Fritz) did not circulate any of his own petitions," Pratte said, saying he thought that was unusual. "I'm not picking on Mr. Fritz."

Fritz is running against township Trustee Denise LaCure for the assessor's post.