Campton Hills hopeful off ballot again

Campton Hills village president hopeful Robert Young was served a second helping of Feb. 5 election rejection Tuesday, and he wasn't happy about it.

The would-be candidate called his hearing before the village electoral board -- his second in nine days -- a "facade" and vowed to appeal its ruling to a higher court.

"It was all pre-written and pre-determined," Young told reporters after the board voted unanimously to kick him off the ballot -- again.

The board was forced to reconvene Tuesday after it was discovered that members, acting on legal advice, violated multiple open meetings laws at a Dec. 10 hearing during which Young was first kicked off the ballot.

This time, the board deliberated in public, as required by law, instead of in private, as was the case Dec. 10. But there were no surprises.

Members agreed Young shouldn't be allowed to run in the upcoming election because he was not a registered voter in Kane County when he signed a sworn statement that he was qualified to hold office.

Young's petition to be on the ballot also contained a violation of the Illinois Notary Public Act because one page was both signed and notarized by the same person, amounting to a conflict of interest, officials said.

After the decision, Young pointed out that the board's ruling was already typed and ready to sign before deliberations even began.

Village clerk candidate Carolyn Higgins, facing her own paperwork challenges which were subsequently dropped by the challenger Tuesday, also took issue with the prepared ruling.

"This was all a circus," she told the board.

Chairman Bern Bertsche didn't respond to the complaints, but did say that last week's Open Meetings Act violations were "an honest mistake." "There certainly wasn't any intention to do anything sly," he said.

Bertsche also read a statement from electoral board attorney Donna McDonald, of the law firm Arnstein & Lehr LLC, apologizing for "any inconvenience and embarrassment to the village that I have caused."

Young has 10 days to appeal the Tuesday's ruling in Kane County Circuit Court. In addition to an appeal, he said he is planning a write-in campaign.