Addison Twp. assessor hopeful sues to get back on ballot
Addison Township Democratic assessor candidate Brian Guimon is suing to get back on the April 7 ballot.
Township Clerk Pamela Moretti kicked him off the ballot last month saying he didn't provide the proper certification for the job.
No court date has been scheduled, and ballots to overseas military personnel have already been shipped out. Guimon's attorney, Dan Johnson-Weinberger, filed the suit Monday against Moretti.
The suit also names the county's election commission, but its attorney, Patrick Bond, said that's merely a formality to bind the body to follow a judge's ruling. In fact, nowhere in the four-page suit does Johnson-Weinberger accuse the commission of any wrongdoing.
Moretti booted Guimon from the ballot citing her "apparent conformity" powers over nominating papers. She said Guimon's paperwork did not include any certification that he is qualified to be an assessor. Assessors are the only township posts that require candidates prove they are able to do the job.
Moretti said Guimon's letter from the Appraisal Institute saying he was a member in good standing of the organization was not enough to qualify him for the post. Assessor candidates can have a variety of accreditations, and the Appraisal Institute certifies a number of those designations.
Johnson-Weinberger argues that Guimon is accredited as a "senior residential analyst" by the Appraisal Institute and the letter he submitted in his nomination papers addresses him as such, which proves he is certified.
"As only the Appraisal Institute has the authority to grant the designation to an individual, and the Appraisal Institute itself sent the letter to Mr. Guimon, the letter to Mr. Guimon unquestionably affirms his designation as a senior residential analyst," Johnson-Weinberger's lawsuit reads.
Bond said he hadn't seen the suit yet, but thought it would make an "interesting" case.
"If that letter had just been clearer, we wouldn't have found ourselves in this predicament," he said.
Bond said it's "almost impossible" to add or remove somebody from the ballot at this point. However, it's not the only ballot-related lawsuit in DuPage County right now. An attorney representing a Bensenville resident is seeking to have longtime village President John Geils removed from the ballot because he claims Geils doesn't live in the village any longer. That case is slated to be heard March 16, the same day early voting is slated to begin.