Voters in Brookfield as early as this afternoon may know the fate of two candidates whose nominating petitions are being challenged. The Cook County Clerk on Wednesday, Jan. 19 will conduct a review of signatures being challenged on the petitions of Frank Torres and Daniel Gribben, both independent candidates for trustee.
The document review will take place at 2 p.m. in the lower-level Pedway Room of the Cook County Administration Building, 69 W. Washington in Chicago.
If the clerk’s office finds that enough signatures are invalid, it could oust either or both candidates from the April 5 ballot. But even if a candidate survives the signature checks, he could still be tossed off the ballot by the Brookfield electoral board, which has still to consider other objections to the candidates’ petitions.
Village President Michael Garvey, who is chairman of the Brookfield electoral board, said that body will reconvene on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 4 p.m., at the Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Ave.
Meanwhile, independent candidate Josh Jones, who was thrown off the ballot by the local electoral board on Jan. 7, has filed an appeal of that ruling with the Circuit Court of Cook County. Jones confirmed the filing Friday. A copy of the appeal was not immediately available to the Landmark.
No signature checks for D103
In Brookfield-Lyons School District 103, where seven school board candidates are having their nominating petitions challenged, there will be no signature checks before the district’s electoral board reconvenes on Saturday, Jan. 22.
At a hearing held Jan. 8, it appeared as if petitions were headed down to the county clerk prior to reconvening. However, District 103 Superintendent Michael Warner said today that no signature checks were taking place at this time.
Prior to the Jan. 22 electoral board hearing, both the objectors and candidates will file legal briefs to the electoral board arguing their cases. Decisions on removing candidates from the ballot are anticipated at that hearing.
