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Amrich, Sciarrone facing candidacy challenges in Island Lake

Two Island Lake residents are trying to get a pair of well-known municipal candidates knocked off the April 9 ballot, officials confirmed Monday.

The objections were filed against mayoral hopeful Charles Amrich and trustee candidate Tony Sciarrone, both members of the “For the People” slate.

Residents Louis Sharp and Daniel Field, filed both objections. In their documents, they claimed Amrich and Sciarrone are ineligible to run for local office because of financial debts to the village.

In a telephone interview Monday, Amrich — a former Island Lake mayor — said he hadn’t seen the objection. He denied he owed the village money.

In a separate interview, Sciarrone — a former police chief in Island Lake — said he hadn’t seen the complaints, either. He declined to comment further.

Neither Sharp nor Field could be reached for comment.

Field’s name might be familiar to political observers in Island Lake. Last year, he tried to remove a grass-roots referendum about a proposed municipal complex from the ballot, saying some signatures on the petition were improper or obtained fraudulently.

Before the case could be heard, Field withdrew his objection and the matter was dismissed. The nonbinding referendum appeared on the ballot, and the construction proposal — backed by Mayor Debbie Herrmann and opposed by Amrich and his political allies — was overwhelmingly rejected by voters.

As for the complaints against the candidacies of Amrich and Sciarrone, a local electoral board will review the objections at a public hearing that hasn’t yet been scheduled.

Herrmann will lead the three-person electoral board regarding the complaint about Sciarrone’s candidacy.

Because Herrmann is running against Amrich in the April 9 election, Trustee Shannon Fox was randomly chosen to replace Herrmann on the panel for Amrich’s case.

Clerk Connie Mascillino and Trustee Laurie Rabattini also serve on the election board.

Amrich and Sciarrone are campaigning with clerk candidate Teresa Ponio and trustee hopefuls Mark Beeson and Keith Johns.

They’re challenging Herrmann’s “United For Progress” slate. Herrmann is joined by Mascillino and first-time trustee candidates Josh Rohde, Ken Nitz and Ed McGinty.

Three incumbent trustees — Rabattini, Steve Stiller and Sam Cicero — are not running.

Candidate lists must be certified by Jan. 31.

Debbie Herrmann is an Island Lake mayor candidate.
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