Dist. 207 candidate remains on ballot after signature challenge

The Cook County clerk's office has determined a Maine Township High School District 207 school member previously one signature shy of a place on the April ballot has enough signatures to run for re-election.

Jin Lee, a first-term member of the board, was at risk of losing a spot in the contested race when the clerk's office found he was short of the 50 required signatures earlier this week. On Friday, the clerk's office accepted an additional affidavit validating one of his previously stricken signatures, Lee said.

Park Ridge resident Gary Gale, an arbitrator for the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission and former director of the agency, filed the objections against Lee and Aurora Austriaco. The clerk's office Tuesday determined Austriaco had six more signatures than required.

They are among the five candidates in the school board race, which also includes Linda Coyle, school board President Carla Owen and Dan Gott, who tried to unseat Democratic state Rep. Marty Moylan in 2016.