Geneva Twp. petition challenge delayed
The Geneva Township electoral board Wednesday delayed a hearing on a challenge to a candidate’s petitions because a notice of the hearing gave the wrong time.
The notice sent to township clerk candidate Geoffrey Carreiro said the hearing would start at 10 p.m., when the board meant 10 a.m. Township Supervisor Patrick Jaeger, chairman of the electoral board, said he called Carreiro Tuesday to let him know of the mistake.
Jaeger waited for 15 minutes before opening the hearing Wednesday to see if Carreiro would show up. He did not.
Jaeger then asked the other two members of the board to agree to continue the hearing, saying he felt it was fair to the candidate.
Township Trustee Robert Kovacs is the objector. Kovacs said he found 19 suspect signatures on Carreiro’s petitions. If his objections are upheld, Carreiro would not have enough valid signatures to be put on the April 9 ballot.
Carreiro is the only person running for the post. The current clerk, Barbara Olson, is stepping down.
Kovacs said he decided to check Carreiro’s petition because he was the only candidate, and because he does not know Carreiro.
“I have nothing personal against him at all,” Kovacs said.
Kovacs said he checked signatures and addresses twice against Kane County records. For some, the address given didn’t have any registered voters listed. He also thinks two of the people who signed don’t live in the township.
“There was no (voter) choice unless I objected,” Kovacs said. He said he would prefer to have the board in that case appoint a clerk.
Kovacs also checked the petitions of Scott Queen, a candidate for trustee, but did not file an objection. He did not check the petitions of Jaeger, either of the two candidates for highway commissioner, the sole assessor candidate or his other three opponents, because “I know everybody else.”
The electoral board consists of Jaeger, Olson and Geneva attorney Tim O’Neil. A Kane County judge appointed O’Neil to the board to replace Trustee Dick Sharp, who would normally be the third member. Sharp, however, had circulated petitions for Carreiro.