Rep. Cole's opponent knocked off ballot
The Democrat vying to unseat state Rep. Sandy Cole has been knocked off the ballot because of an address snafu, officials said.
Terry Hall can't appear on the Nov. 4 ballot for the 62nd House District because she listed a commercial post-office box and not her home address on her paperwork, a three-member Lake County electoral board ruled Wednesday.
The board also decided Democratic leaders' efforts to correct the error by having Hall withdraw and then re-nominate her were invalid, said Lake County Clerk Willard Helander, who chaired the panel.
Hall's disqualification means Cole, a first-term incumbent from Grayslake, likely will run unopposed for re-election.
Neither Hall -- a Gurnee resident and member of the Woodland Elementary District 50 board -- nor Cole could be reached for comment Thursday.
Dan Venturi, chairman of the Lake County Republican Party, was pleased Cole now can focus on her work in Springfield without worrying about a re-election fight.
An appeal is likely, however, said state Sen. Terry Link, leader of the county's Democratic organization.
Republican Lake County board member Bob Powers of Round Lake Beach, who served with Cole on the county board, filed the formal objection against Hall's candidacy after Democratic leaders nominated her to run against Cole.
They were able to do so because no Democrats ran in the February primary for the 62nd District seat. The district is in central Lake County.
Hall's gaffe was more than a technical mistake, the GOP's Venturi said. Candidates need to put their home addresses on campaign paperwork so observers can ensure they live in the district, he said.
"It may sound like a technicality, but it's an important factor," Venturi said.
The candidacies of three other legislative hopefuls from Lake County are facing legal challenges, too.
Democrats have formally protested the bids of Republicans Keith Gray, who's seeking to unseat state Sen. Terry Link in the 30th District seat, and Dan Sugrue, who's challenging state Rep. Kathy Ryg in the 59th House District.
Additionally, the candidacy of Democrat Rich Garling, an Island Lake trustee seeking the 52nd House seat, also is facing a formal challenge. Garling is trying to unseat longtime state Rep. Mark H. Beaubien Jr.
Unlike the Hall case, those three objections will be reviewed by the Illinois State Elections Board.
The 30th Senate and 59th House districts cover much of the same area. Both are in eastern Lake County and include small portions of Cook County.
The 52nd House District includes parts of Lake, Cook and McHenry counties.
The three other cases are being heard by the state panel because the districts cover multiple counties. Hearings are set for all three at 11 a.m. today in Chicago, elections board officials said, but they won't be resolved today.