Marc Mazzuca, left, and Patrick DeStefano attend the proceedings.
Igor Studenkov | For the Bugle
The race for the Sixth Ward seat on the Park Ridge City Council got off to a contentious start, as incumbent Marc Mazzuca kept his opponent, Patrick DeStefano, off the ballot.
Mazzuca alleged that 22 of the signatures on his opponent’s nominating petition violated election laws. He also alleged that the way DeStefano’s Statement of Candidacy form was signed violated established procedures, so it should be declared invalid. The Park Ridge Municipal Offices Electoral Board dismissed the latter objection, but when it came to signatures, it accepted the Office of Cook County Clerk’s finding that 17 signatures really were invalid, sending the number of valid signatures below the minimum number required to get on the ballot.
But DeStefano isn’t quite out yet. He said he would launch a write-in campaign, that he said he was confident he would win.
Under the Illinois election law, anyone who wants to run for alderman in Park Ridge must collect nominating signatures from no less than five percent and no more than eight percent of the number of people who voted in the last regular election. In 6th Ward, that means no less than 67 and no more than 117. DeStefano collected exactly 67 signatures – so if even one was declared invalid, he would be out of the race.
In his complaint, Mazzuca alleges that that there were 22 signatures that should be disqualified. He alleges that 16 signatures were not genuine, four signatures belonged to residents who aren’t registered voters and two petitioners’ addresses were misstated. The complaint also points to the fact that, in DeStefano’s statement of candidacy, the date when his signature was notarized had the year scratched out and “2016” was written above it. Mazzuca argued that, under established notarization standards and procedures, any changes must be initialed by a notary. Because this didn’t happen in this case, he argued, the statement of candidacy should be declared invalid.
The Park Ridge Municipal Offices Electoral Board is made up of the mayor, the city clerk and the longest-serving alderman. Because that alderman had a conflict of interest, Fourth Ward Ald. Roger Shubert was chosen to fill the spot instead.
The board looked at the complaint on Dec. 30, at 10 a.m. City Attorney Julie Tappendorf explained that the next step would be for one of the city attorneys and both candidates to visit the Cook County City Clerk’s office, where the staff would pull up the voting records and check all disputed signatures and petitioner information one by one.
“They would compare signatures on nominating petitions to voter registration records,” she explained.” The reason why it has to be done in the Cook County building is because they’re holders of voter records. They will make determination whether [the two sets of signatures] matches.”
Because of the election deadlines, Tappendorf said, the appointment needs to be scheduled as soon as possible. After some back and forth, both candidates agreed to a Jan. 6 appointment. The follow-up electoral board meeting was scheduled for Jan. 9, at 8:00 a.m.
Mazzuca wondered whether the board could rule on the candidacy statement issue.
“I haven’t provided legal analysis of it yet, so we’ll do it on Monday the 9th,” replied Tappendorf.
On Jan. 6, the Cook County Clerk’s office ruled that five of the objected signatures were valid, but the remaining 17 weren’t. As Mazzuca explained that included 11 signatures that were tossed because the names were printed rather than signed in the signature field, one that was tossed because a resident who printed her name in the signature field put her name down in the line below again, signing this time. Four were tossed because the residents’ address in the petition didn’t match county records.
As for the statement of candidacy issue, DeStefano’s attorney Leonard Cannata testified under oath that he put in the original date, and he was the one to cross it out and change it. Tappendorf told the board that based on her analysis, there was legal precedent for statements of candidacy to still be valid under these circumstances. The electoral board voted to follow her advice, overturning the objection.
But with the nominating petitions, Tappendorf said, the situation was more clear-cut. Originally, Cannata said that he and his client were prepared to collect affidavits showing that all 17 individuals who signed the petition really did sign it and were really registered voters. Mazzuca objected, and Tappendorf suggested that, given how many signatures were on the petition, it may not be worth the trouble.
“I always want to err on side of candidate [to have] the opportunity to present case and rehabilitate [the signatures],” she said. “But I think its worth asking, in that point, with 17 signatures, would you believe that you’d be able to rehabilitate? If some of them are fatal, I would hate to have the board come back and meet again if there isn’t ability to rehabilitate them.”
After conferring with DeStefano, he said that his client agreed, and that he would mount a write-in campaign instead.
The board then ruled against DeStefano, concurring with the county clerk’s findings.
“I hope you learn by this situation,” city clerk Betty Henneman remarked as she cast her vote. “I hope you candidate learned also that they need to read directions better.”
Mazzuca told the reporters that he was happy with the outcome.
“I think the board found, correctly, that [Destefano] didn’t put the minimum amount of effort,” he said.
The incumbent alderman said that he would keep an eye on DeStefano, just in case he decides to appeal the board’s ruling.
“I don’t take anything for granted, and I plan to continue make the case for worters as to why I deserve another four years,” Mazzuca said, saying that, if elected, he would focus on encouraging fiscal discipline, investment and infrastructure and holding city staff accountable to residents and city officials.
On his part, DeStefano insisted that he wasn’t planning appeal the decision, saying that it would waste city time and money.
“I am confident that I can do a write-in campaign and win,” he said
Evoking president-elect Donald Trump, DeStefano said that he was campaigning on getting things done for Sixth Ward residents, nothing more.
“Make the ward great again,” he said. “Let’s help the residents. I just want the streets fixed, I just want answers. It’s been four year, and there hasn’t been any change.”