GOP files complaint against Addison Township Dems

Addison Township Republicans have filed a campaign finance complaint against their Democratic rivals with the state's election board.

GOP officials claim the township Democratic committee has been financing campaign fliers and signs for its slate running against Republican incumbents despite filing "nonparticipation reports" to the state.

"We hadn't done anything until after the deadline to file," Addison Township Democratic Organization Chairman Mike Braun said. "We just started participating."

Political committees participating in the April 7 election were required to file statements before March 23, but township Democrats filed two nonparticipation reports in January and March, according to the state board's Web site. However, committees only have to report larger donations immediately, not expenditures.

A preliminary hearing is slated for 1 p.m. Monday at the election board's Chicago offices to hear the complaint. Township Republican Chairman Pat Durante said his group has evidence that Democrats began distributing fliers and paying for campaign signs well ahead of March 23.

"They call for transparency and openness, but nobody knows what they're doing because they file nothing and so we're calling them out," he said.

"I got them this time. If they're not participating, then why do I have two pieces of literature by them with their assessor candidate's name on it when he was thrown off the ballot at the beginning of March?"

Former Democratic assessor candidate Brian Guimon was removed from the ballot in mid-February, but he fought the decision until a DuPage County judge ruled against him in mid-March.

Republicans filed three exhibits with their complaint, two of which are fliers with Guimon's name included and the other is a photo of a campaign sign without his name.

Braun, who is also running for township clerk, said he was unaware of the complaint.

"We're not trying to dodge anything," he said. "We'll happily lay out everything to show what we're doing."

If the complaint is upheld, the township Democratic organization could face a maximum of $10,000 in fines, election officials said.