Why 5-term incumbent Elgin City Council member was kicked off ballot

Documents show Elgin City Council member John Steffen failed to sign his statement of candidacy or get it notarized, making him ineligible to seek a sixth term in the April 2027 municipal election.

Steffen and Deborah K. Willis were among nine candidates who filed their paperwork to run for council by the Oct. 26 deadline. However, Steffen and Willis were notified by email and certified letter on Oct. 29 that their names would not appear on the ballot.

The Daily Herald obtained copies of the emails through a Freedom of Information Act request.

According to the documents, Elgin City Clerk Kim Dewis told Steffen that she couldn’t certify his candidacy. She said his nominating petition failed to comply with the Illinois Election Code, specifically because it “was not signed by you or notarized.”

In an email to the Daily Herald, Steffen said he wasn’t ready to comment or reveal whether he felt he had any recourse.

Willis was told her nominating petition was not bound and the pages weren’t numbered as required.

Willis has not responded to messages seeking comment.

Steffen has served on the city council since 2007. In March, Willis ran in the Democratic primary for Kane County Board District 17 and lost to Deborah Allen.

The remaining field of seven candidates for the four available seats includes incumbents Anthony Ortiz and Tish Powell, as well as Siddiq Ashraf, Timothy Ayalin, Christopher Flaherty, Debra Vruble and Kevin Zaldivar.

rwest@dailyherald.com