District 300 candidates survive petition objections

Three candidates seeking election to the Community Unit District 300 board can remain on the April 4 ballot, the McHenry County electoral board has ruled. Objections challenging the candidacies of challengers Randi Gauthier and Olutola "Tola" Makinde and incumbent Nancy Zettler were dismissed Friday by the electoral board.

After the hearing, Zettler, an attorney who represented herself and the other two candidates, responded to a text message seeking comment.

"Happy, but surprised," Zettler wrote. "The law is on our side!"

Objections to Gauthier's and Makinde's candidacies largely focused on Zettler's signature notarizing their petitions. Objectors Anna Harla of Prairie Grove and Clarissa Bartlett of Hampshire argued the petitions were invalid because Zettler, who is also a notary public, left out her middle initial in her signature. They also claimed her signature did not match the name on her notary stamp, which included her middle initial.

In her objection to Zettler's petitions, Bartlett argued that Zettler could not notarize her own petitions and pointed to the Illinois notary handbook, which states that a notary cannot sign documents where he or she is a party or benefit from a transaction.

The electoral board ruled that while the handbook lays out specific guidelines for notaries, those guidelines do not supersede election law.

The panel also noted that Zettler was in substantial compliance when she notarized the petitions for Makinde and Gauthier. Leaving out her middle initial was not a "fatal flaw" that would knock the candidates off the ballot.

In addition, the electoral board rejected challenges to some signatures and other clerical issues on the candidates' petitions.

Zettler, Makinde, and Gauthier join challengers Laurie Parman, Robert Reining, Connie Cain and Kristina Konstanty and incumbent Stephen Fiorentino in a bid for four seats on the school board.