Hearing focuses on Hoffman candidate's residency
Questions on whether Hoffman Estates trustee candidate Prajesh "Pat" Patel actually lives at the Hoffman Estates house he listed as his residency became the hub of an electoral board hearing Monday on objections filed against his nominating papers.
Four of the six objections to Patel's candidacy were dismissed, but the electoral board has subpoenaed witnesses and documents to attest to Patel's residency when the hearing continues at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22.
Patel is one of five candidates who filed to run for three seats on the Hoffman Estates village board. Also running are trustees Anna Newell, Gary Pilafas and Gary Stanton and former trustee Cary Collins.
Patel's attorney objected to what he saw as the electoral board expanding its questioning beyond the narrow scope of the objection. The objection suggested Patel isn't a registered voter at the address where he claims to live.
His attorney Anish Parikh, however, said Patel's voter registration at that address was proved by documentation provided at Monday's hearing.
That documentation showed Patel had applied for voter registration at the Hoffman address just hours before his nominating petition was filed last month.
Records also showed Patel voted in Addison in November.
Extending that specific objection into seeking proof of Patel's residency leaves the door open to an appeal if Patel is removed from the April 7 ballot next week, Parikh said.
"We're muddying the waters," Parikh told the electoral board, consisting of Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod, Village Trustee Karen Mills and Village Clerk Bev Romanoff.
The electoral board did grant Parikh's motion to dismiss several paperwork technicalities. The objections against Patel's petitions were filed by Andrew Nawrocki, a member of the village's Emerging Technologies Advisory Commission.
Among these was one calling some of the signatures on Patel's petition invalid without specifying which ones or why.
The electoral board retained one objection, but did not rule on it, regarding the fact that Patel did not identify both Cook and Kane counties as the proper jurisdictions on his statement of candidacy.
People subpoenaed to attest to Patel's residency are himself; his former wife, whose name appears on the deed of the Hoffman Estates home; and the person who notarized his petition.
Documents subpoenaed include Patel's auto registration, driver's license, electric bill, federal tax return, library card, state tax return, property tax bill and voter's card.
Village Attorney Arthur Janura said it would be up to the electoral board to decide how many of these were necessary as proof of Patel's residency at his listed address.
Because Hoffman Estates municipal elections are on the primary system, trustee candidates filed in November - leaving room for a February primary in case a lot of candidates filed. Not enough did, and there will not be a primary.