East St. Louis official faces $175K in fines to state board

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) - An elected official in East St. Louis owes more than $175,000 in accrued fines to the Illinois State Board of Elections if he wants to appear on the March primary ballot.

It's the highest amount a candidate has accrued with the board, according to The (Belleville) News-Democrat.

East St. Louis Township Supervisor Alvin Parks, a former mayor, has until Tuesday. He hasn't said if he'll be able to pay.

He's previously said he isn't sure he wants to run for the position. His office line could not take phone messages on Sunday.

Parks recently attempted to settle the outstanding amount by offering about 50% of what he owes. Board members rejected it, saying Parks disregarded campaign finance laws.

State law says political committees or politicians have to file reports every time there's a contribution over $1,000. Parks stopped filing those reports in 2011 and was fined $5,000 each time.