Aurora Electoral Board begins hearing objections to city council candidates in spring 2027 election
The Aurora Electoral Board began hearing objections Monday to candidates running for Aurora City Council in the April 2027 election.
During the meeting, it was announced that candidate Andrea Jones has withdrawn her name from the ballot for the 5th Ward city council race in the spring election. Two objections had been filed against her, which the board dismissed Monday due to Jones’ withdrawal.
On Monday, the Aurora Electoral Board, with the help of its legal counsel Jason Guisinger, asked nearly all of the candidates and opponents to submit written arguments and responses concerning the objections by deadlines set within the next week.
The board also began the process for an examination of voter registration records for certain objection cases. Those cases questioned the validity of specific signatures on petitions submitted for some candidates, and those signatures are set to be cross-examined with voting records of the counties where those residents are registered to vote.
All objection cases are set to continue before the board at 9 a.m. Nov. 18 in the council chambers at Aurora City Hall at 44 E. Downer Place, during which arguments for most cases are set to be heard.
Several objection cases filed by Aurora resident Gregory Jackman were represented by attorney John Fogarty. Fogarty also represented Aurora resident Linda Grula in her objection against 8th Ward candidate Jennifer Pazos.
In one of Jackman’s objection cases, 8th Ward candidate Tony Michelassi filed a motion to strike the objection to his candidacy, citing a lack of specificity in the objection arguments. Fogarty was given until Thursday to respond to the filing, and Michelassi was given until Nov. 16 to reply to the response.
In another one of Fogarty’s cases, Pazos asked for an evidentiary hearing for the objection filed against her candidacy. She said she had gathered evidence of voter registration from people whose signatures were under scrutiny in the objection.
Guisinger said that a record examination needed to be conducted in DuPage County first, and he did not schedule deadlines for arguments to be filed in that matter.
A few motions were made in an objection case filed by at-large candidate Char Petersen against fellow at-large candidate David Smith. Smith asked the electoral board to strike and dismiss Petersen’s objection and filed a memorandum of law supporting his arguments. Peterson was given until the end of the day Thursday to respond to Smith’s motions, and Smith was given until Nov. 16 to reply to her response.
Petersen asked the board to review the validity of some signatures in Smith’s petitions, but the board denied her request, citing that she did not file that specific request in her objection.
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