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Naperville electoral board: One candidate off the ballot, another awaits review

A Naperville City Council candidate will have his name removed from the April ballot, while another candidate’s fate is yet to be determined.

Farid Shabazz and Nag Jaiswal, two of the nine candidates to file for the city council seats, faced challenges to their nominating petitions.

During a hearing on Wednesday, the Naperville electoral board voted 2-1 to sustain the objection to the petitions from Shabazz, effectively removing him from the ballot. The board will meet again on Dec. 5 to review several signatures on Jaiswal’s petition.

Diane McGuire, Nancy Turner and Mark Urda challenged both candidate’s petitions.

The trio argued that Shabazz did not properly disclose a name change. Under Illinois law, candidates must disclose any name changes that have occurred within the last three years.

In 2023, Shabazz changed his name from David Hughes to Farid Shabazz. On 18 of 54 of his petition changes, Shabazz did not disclose his name change.

Mario Palmero, an attorney representing the objectors, said the disclosure was a fundamental requirement for candidates circulating petitions for office.

“The reason we have these requirements is so people can vet the candidates,” Palmero said.

Though he legally changed his name in 2023, Shabazz said he used his current name for decades and changed his name to reflect his Muslim faith.

However, he acknowledged the error and called Wednesday’s hearing a “teachable moment.” Shabazz said he does not plan to appeal the ruling.

“I’m a little disappointed, but I’m disappointed in myself more than anything,” he said after the hearing. “I’m looking forward to coming back in two years and doing it again, but better.”

Jaiswal faces objections to 184 of the more than 400 signatures he collected to run for office. Candidates must have 317 signatures to appear on the ballot.

In response to a Facebook post by the Safe Suburbs USA PAC, Jaiswal charged that the “Naperville Democratic machinery” doesn’t want him on the ballot for his stances on issues including property tax increases and his attempts to end what he called “Hindu-phobia.”

On Wednesday, Urda said the objections had nothing to do with race and that the trio wanted to ensure that candidates follow proper procedures.

The Naperville electoral board consists of three members — City Clerk Dawn Portner, Mayor Scott Wehrli and Councilman Patrick Kelly.

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