Embattled Lake Zurich Trustee Beaudoin won't be on April ballot
Lake Zurich Trustee Jim Beaudoin, who was arrested this month on allegations he choked his girlfriend during an argument, will not be on the April ballot seeking another term on the village board.
Beaudoin did not file candidacy paperwork to get his name on the ballot for the April 6 election, leaving a write-in campaign as his only option to seek a third term in office.
The 47-year-old trustee has pleaded not guilty to two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery stemming from his arrest after a Dec. 12 altercation at his home. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Lake Zurich voters will have several other candidates to choose from when they elect three trustees in the April election, including incumbents Mary Beth Euker and Greg Weider. They're running as part of a slate called "Lake Zurich Forward," along with Mayor Thomas Poynton, trustee hopeful Daniel Bobrowski and incumbent Village Clerk Kathleen Johnson.
Other trustee candidates include newcomer Eric Dubiel, who created a political party called "LZ Thrive." He is currently the only candidate running under that banner.
Michael Paulus, who ran unsuccessfully for trustee in 2019, said Tuesday he is planning a write-in campaign for a village board seat. Because of possible exposure to COVID-19, he chose a write-in candidacy instead of seeking the resident signatures needed on nominating petitions to get his name on the ballot.
"I work at Good Shepherd (Hospital) in the (operating room) and did not feel comfortable exposing the large amount of people needed for signatures," he said.
Paulus worked for the Lake Zurich Police Department for 18 years, but was fired from his job as a communications supervisor in February 2018, after supervisors determined there were discrepancies in his work. When it came to light weeks before the 2019 election, Paulus acknowledged he had been fired, but called the official account of his dismissal one-sided and inaccurate.
Jeff Halen, who served two terms as a trustee before two unsuccessful village board bids in 2017 and 2019, is running as an independent candidate for mayor. Trustee Janice Gannon, who ran on a slate with Halen in 2019, is supporting his bid and provided the first signature on his nominating petitions.