Herrmann, Mascillino among potential witnesses in Island Lake election hearings
Island Lake’s mayor, clerk and several former police employees are among the witnesses who could testify Monday in hearings that will determine the candidates for April’s local election, officials confirmed.
The bids of mayoral hopeful Charles Amrich and trustee candidate Tony Sciarrone hang in the balance. Their candidacies have been formally challenged by a pair of political activists with financial ties to village hall.
Both are ineligible to run for municipal office, the objections state, because of debts to the village.
Amrich and Sciarrone — part of a slate of candidates challenging Mayor Debbie Herrmann and her allies for control of the village board — are contesting the allegations.
Amrich, the town’s mayor from 1985 to 2005, called the objections a “witch hunt” and said he expects to prevail.
“Everything that they’re saying is not true,” he said.
Sciarrone, a former Island Lake police officer who served for a time as interim chief, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Seven potential witnesses have been subpoenaed in the cases, said Trustee Shannon Fox, who’s leading the three-member election board.
David McArdle, the attorney representing Amrich and Sciarrone, plans to call Herrmann, Clerk Connie Mascillino and former officer Billy Dickerson as witnesses, Fox said.
Anish Parikh, the attorney representing Field and Sharp, listed Finance Director John Little, former police officer Jim Green and former police dispatcher Joel Ruonovar as potential witnesses.
The hearings are scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. Monday at village hall, 3720 Greenleaf Ave.
The process has taken weeks, and Fox said she’s hopeful it will wrap up Monday. She primarily blamed the delays on scheduling requests by the candidates and their attorney.
“At this point, however, if the hearings do not complete Monday night, we will not be able to be so accommodating if any future scheduling is necessary. We need to get this thing done.”
The deadline for government agencies to file candidate lists with county clerk offices was Thursday. Mascillino has filed the list — but with asterisks next to the names of Amrich and Sciarrone.
Supporters of Amrich and Sciarrone have questioned why Sharp and Field objected to the candidates’ petitions.
Sharp, a former trustee, runs a towing company and auto repair shop that’s called upon by police when needed. Field co-owns a company that does computer work for the village and another that has done auto-repair work for the village, records indicate.
Amrich and Sciarrone are running with clerk candidate Teresa Ponio and trustee hopefuls Mark Beeson and Keith Johns as the “For the People” slate.
Herrmann leads the “United for Progress” slate. She’s joined by Mascillino and first-time trustee hopefuls Josh Rohde, Ken Nitz and Ed McGinty.
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