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Shah withdraws from Schaumburg mayoral race

Less than a week after one Schaumburg mayoral candidate barely survived an objection to his nominating petition, another has announced his voluntary withdrawal from the April 2 election.

Sunil Shah emailed Village Clerk Marilyn Karr an official notification to remove his name from the ballot last Friday.

Three mayoral candidates - longtime Trustee Tom Dailly along with newcomers Nafees Rahman and Matthew Steward - remain in the race to succeed 32-year incumbent Al Larson.

Though Karr said she is still awaiting a hard copy of Shah's withdrawal form by mail, she added that the law states an electronic notification can be considered official.

Shah told the Daily Herald Wednesday his current personal and professional obligations would not be conducive with the demands of office.

"I feel that now is not the right time, but I still look forward to serving this community further," he said.

Shah, who works as an insurance agent in Schaumburg, has been a resident of the village for more than 20 years and, with his wife, raised two sons there. He emigrated from Mumbai, India, in the late 1990s.

Last week, a Schaumburg electoral board consisting of Larson, Karr and senior Trustee George Dunham agreed that Rahman had 43 valid signatures on his nominating petition - one more than the 42 required.

Former Trustee Patrick Riley had filed 16 objections against the 60 signatures Rahman originally submitted.

Though a Cook County records review determined 51 signatures and their corresponding addresses belong to validly registered voters, Rahman's petition lost eight of them due to the page they were on not being notarized.

A member of Rahman's slate - announced trustee candidate Leon Mangum - never qualified for the ballot due to failing to submit a declaration of candidacy.

The other trustee candidates vying for the three available seats on the board include Dunham and fellow incumbent Mark Madej, current zoning board of appeals member Brian Bieschke, and newcomers Scott Felgenhauer, Rocco Terranova and Dhitu Bhagwakar. The last two are the remaining members of Rahman's slate.

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