Decision on Buffalo Grove board candidate delayed
Buffalo Grove's electoral board deferred a ruling Thursday on village board candidate Gowri Magati's request to throw out an effort to remove her from the April 6 ballot.
The panel instead will hear evidence on her motion Wednesday.
Village President Beverly Sussman, who sits on the electoral panel with Village Clerk Janet Sirabian and attorney Laura Jacksack, said there is "a lot of evidence out there that has not been presented."
Former Trustee Jeffrey Berman is objecting to Magati's nominating petitions. She's one of five candidates for three village board seats. Also running are incumbents Joanne Johnson, Les Ottenheimer and Andrew Stein, and former Trustee Mike Terson.
Berman's objection alleges Magati's petition contains invalid signatures and that she falsely certified under oath that each signature was signed in her presence.
Her attorney, Matthew Flamm, told the board Thursday he has evidence the petitions contain enough valid signatures to place Magati on the ballot. He added that he is "frankly offended" by the accusations against Magati.
Berman, however, said sworn evidence will substantiate his claims.
"It is understandable that Magati may wish to avoid having it proven conclusively that she submitted false oaths, or that she is attempting to game the system and cheat her way onto the ballot, but her motion to dismiss does not provide her with that safe harbor," he wrote in a response to one of Flamm's filings.
Electoral board members encouraged Berman to get affidavits from his witnesses rather than require people to testify.