McHenry County sheriff hopeful Colatorti can remain primary ballot, judge rules
For the second time, McHenry County sheriff hopeful Tony Colatorti has been ruled qualified to run for office.
McHenry County Judge Kevin Costello on Friday upheld an April decision rejecting an objection to Colatorti's candidacy, which argued he lacks the necessary credentials for the office. The move keeps Colatorti on the ballot - at least for now.
William Brogan and Joel Brumlik, who filed the original objection in March, immediately filed an appeal seeking a reversal of Costello's decision.
If Friday's decision stands, Colatorti will face fellow Republican Robb Tadelman, the current undersheriff of the McHenry County Sheriff's Office, in the June 28 primary.
"I am grateful that the judge ruled in our favor and will let the voters choose our next sheriff," Colatorti said in a news release Friday. "My opponent knows he will lose if he has to run in a free and fair election against me."
Tadelman said in a statement he disagrees with Costello's decision and will continue to support the objectors.
"This campaign is indeed about qualifications and integrity," Tadelman said. "I look forward to continuing to inform voters about the facts, above the clatter and noise that surrounds campaigns."
Friday's ruling affirms an electoral board decision in April that found Colatorti's part-time police certification meets a new state requirement that candidates for sheriff have police training. The new requirement was part of a sweeping criminal justice reform package passed by the Illinois General Assembly last year.
"If the legislature wanted to require certification as a full-time police officer as a prerequisite to being sheriff, they could have stated such a requirement," Costello said in his decision Friday. "They did not."
John Keigher, chief legal counsel for the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, told the electoral board in April that the training for both part-time and full-time officers is almost identical. except for the time frame in which the training must be completed.