Clerk says Schaumburg mayoral challenger didn't file enough signatures, other required documents
The end of candidate filing for the Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates and Palatine village board races Monday determined none will require a Feb. 28 primary, but only Palatine is unquestionably free of a contested April 4 election as well.
Frequent candidate William Olson filed the sole challenge to Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly's reelection bid, but his nominating petition includes only 32 signatures, well short of the 83 needed, Village Clerk Marilyn Karr said.
Olson also failed to file other required documents, including a statement of economic interest that helps determine when an elected official might face a conflict of interest, Karr added.
"I'm not certifying (his candidacy)," Karr said after the filing deadline Monday. "There's nothing there to certify. There's no justification for sending out the paperwork."
Olson declined to comment on the status of his nominating petition Monday.
The Illinois State Board of Elections is not involved in municipal elections, Public Information Officer Matt Dietrich said, adding that municipal clerks have a fair amount of latitude in determining whether petitions meet required criteria, even without a third party's objection.
The Schaumburg village trustee race is uncontested, with incumbents George Dunham, Mark Madej and Brian Bieschke having filed the only nominating petitions for three available seats.
Former village employee Jane Lentino filed the only petition for village clerk, with Karr deciding to step aside after 18 years.
In Hoffman Estates, a resident of the 55-and-older Poplar Creek Village named Mark Vrabel filed for trustee Monday, joining retired police lieutenant and former mayoral candidate Mark Mueller and incumbents Anna Newell, Gary Pilafas and Gary Stanton in the race for three seats.
The mayor, village clerk and three other trustee seats are not up for election in 2023.
That's true in Palatine as well, where only incumbents Scott Lamerand, Doug Myslinski and Kollin Kozlowski filed for reelection to their current seats on the village council.
The last day to object to a nominating petition is Monday, Dec. 5.
A primary election would have been required in any of the three villages if the number of candidates for any office had exceeded four times the number of available seats.
In Schaumburg, Olson filed his candidacy last week under the name of William de la Fontaine-Olson, as he did in his recent failed bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana, where he said he has dual residency.
Two years ago, Olson filed to run for a trustee seat in Schaumburg but was disqualified for failing to file a statement of economic interest.
He previously ran in the Democratic primary for Illinois' 8th Congressional District, challenging incumbent Raja Krishnamoorthi in 2020, and for the Schaumburg Township District Library board in 2009 and 2021.
Earlier this year, Olson's nominating petitions for the Republican primary in the 56th state House District were rejected for having insufficient signatures, leaving E. Dale Litney as the challenger to Democratic incumbent state Rep. Michelle Mussman in the general election.
• Daily Herald staff writer Steve Zalusky contributed to this report.