E. Dundee candidate booted from ballot will fight on

An East Dundee village board hopeful will ask a Kane County judge to reconsider upholding a local electoral board's decision to remove the trustee candidate from the spring election.

Patrick Clarke - one of two candidates struck from the April 7 ballot for improperly fastening nominating papers - says Kane County Judge Michael Colwell could have confused his testimony with that of another candidate during Tuesday's hearing.

Attorney Thomas Tyrrell - who represented both Clarke and candidate Howard Schock - said while Schock placed loose pages in a sealed envelope, Clarke had secured his papers with a binder clip before filing the petition with the village clerk.

"We are hopeful that the judge will be mindful that both cases were discussed simultaneously," Tyrrell said. "We are concerned that there could have been some spillover and we want the opportunity to ensure that the judge has a clear picture."

Tyrrell said Schock would not file a motion to reconsider.

The electoral board on Feb. 9 ruled Schock and Clarke ineligible to appear on the April 7 ballot because the candidates' nominating petitions "were not fastened in any manner when presented to the election official."

Colwell on Tuesday ordered a judgment to affirm the East Dundee electoral board's decision. However, he could not elaborate on the ruling Wednesday.

Clarke said he will fight to be reinstated on the ballot to give residents a choice at the polls.

"It really comes down to the residents getting shortchanged," Clarke said. "It is a strategy to limit the number of people who get in ... I want to give residents an option if they don't want the old, established politics."