The Illinois State Board of Elections overruled an objection to a local candidate’s candidacy on Thursday, allowing her to remain on the 2024 primary ballot.
The decision allows Village of Chatham Trustee Kristen Chiaro to continue her campaign for Illinois House District 95, a district spanning portions of Sangamon, Macon, and Christian counties. She is the sole Democrat in the race and will face incumbent state Rep. Mike Coffey, R-Springfield, in November.
Village of Chatham Trustee Kristen Chiaro is a Democratic candidate running in the Illinois 95th House District.
Objectors to Chiaro’s candidacy, including Sangamon County Chair Diane Barghouti Hardwick and Springfield School District 186 Subdistrict 7 board member Debra Iams, maintained she was ineligible since she signed the nomination papers of Kelvin Coburn, another Republican candidate for the 95th district.
John Fogarty, Jr., attorney for the objectors, said Chiaro was attempting to benefit Coburn’s candidacy by signing his papers — in violation of state election code. Coburn has since ended his campaign because he failed to receive enough signatures within his district. House candidates need at least 500 signatures for nomination papers to be valid.
"We have a case here where someone is trying to nominate a candidate of the opposite party," the Chicago-based attorney told ISBOE.
ISBOE records showed Chiaro signed Coburn’s nomination papers who was running in the same district. Michael Kasper, Chiaro’s attorney, however, said the candidate remained eligible since she signed her own nomination papers on Sept. 30 before signing Coburn’s on Oct. 31.
Under legal precedent, Kasper said the first signature was valid and the second one invalid.
"Once you declare your party affiliation, you’re locked into that party for that primary," he said. "That happens when you request your ballot application or in this instance where you sign a nominating petition."
Chiaro’s case was among the 20 candidacy objections reviewed by ISBOE General Counsel Thursday.
The eight-person board ruled to remove Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, from the ballot since his nomination papers were not notarized and his failure to submit a statement of economic interest. Niemerg was seeking a third term in the House. Fellow Freedom Caucus member Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, was allowed to remain on the ballot.
Later this month, the ISBOE board will consider whether to include former President Donald Trump on the primary ballot. Objectors are seeking to remove Trump from the ballot saying he participated in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. That meeting is scheduled for Jan. 30.
Also on ISBOE’s agenda was finalizing the primary ballot, where Trump will likely appear despite the challenge, but with an "objection pending" message next to his name. He is among five GOP candidates who filed including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Ryan Binkley of Texas.
Christie dropped out of the race on Wednesday but had not officially withdrawn his candidacy from the Illinois ballot leading up to Thursday’s deadline. Vivek Ramaswamy did not file.
President Joe Biden, author Marianne Williamson, Minnesota congressman Rep. Dean Phillips, and Frankie Lozada of New York filed as Democrats. Independent and new party candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can file starting June 17.
Early voting begins on Feb. 8 and the primary is scheduled for March 19.
Contact Patrick M. Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.
ALTON – Granite City’s Nick Raftopoulos, a candidate for state representative, held one of his meet-and-greets at the Tango Event Center in Alton this past Saturday. Abe Lee Barham, one of the organizers, said about 40 people came out and it was a session for about an hour and a half with the candidate running for state representative. "There were not any questions that he didn’t answer," Barham said. "I encourage people to post to him and participate in the Democratic process because your voice matters. Educating yourself on who will be your elected officials is very important to move our country and towns forward." Nick responded to questions about unions, school safety, and nurses’ rights in a town hall type of style. Barham said he thought the meet and greet was informative and "enlightening" for those in attendance. Nick has stated he is running for the Democratic nomination for state representative in Illinois’ 111th House District because he wants
State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, received an award at the American Civil Liberties Union annual Legislator Awards, held at the ACLU’s Illinois headquarters in Chicago on Dec. 14.
According to a news release, the award recognizes Kifowit’s “unwavering commitment” to civil liberties, specifically her sponsorship and advocacy of SB 2323 in 2021, which ended the use of restraints to transport youth in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services.
“This award serves as a testament to the power of advocacy and collaboration in creating positive change, and I deeply honored to receive it,” Kifowit said in the release. “I remain steadfast in my dedication to championing the rights of every individual, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those in our care.”
According to the release, this recognition underscores Rep. Kifowit’s long commitment to the fight for civil liberties, especially the rights of vulnerable youth in the DCFS system. SB 2323, now law, not only prohibits the use of restraints during pre-arranged transports but also requires any violation of the prohibition to be reported immediately to the Department’s Office of Inspector General.
The ACLU Legislator Awards recognized 11 state senators and nine state representatives for their legislative achievements. The full list of awardees can be viewed at aclu-il.org/en/news/2023-legislator-awards.
State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, is applauding new state funding to support books, educational materials, and programming for Decatur’s and Springfield’s public schools’ libraries. “As the price of books and other educational materials continues to rise with inflation, grants like this are more critical than ever for our schools and the communities they serve,” said Scherer. “As a former educator, I saw firsthand how many of my students loved the library, and I am excited to see what joy these new dollars bring.” State grants made possible by the fiscally and socially responsible state budget Scherer helped to pass will provide $1.4 million to Illinois’ public-school libraries. Decatur and Springfield public schools received amounts just over $6,000 and $4,000, respectively to purchase new and up-to-date books, additional educational materials and technology. Awards since 2020, when the program’s formula increased funding by more than 10 percent per student, have been some of the most impactful in the program’s history. “Our kids deserve the best schools – and that goes for teachers, facilities and libraries.” said Scherer. “I am proud to see our local schools receive this critical funding, and I am excited to see it put to good use.”
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — State lawmakers were in Rockford on Monday as part of an effort to explain to local communities what they can expect from Springfield in the coming year.
The luncheon, which took place at Cliffbreakers, at 700 W Riverside Blvd, was hosted by the Northern Illinois Council of Governments.
Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) was just one of seven state legislators on a panel giving over 200 local government leaders a glimpse into the coming year, with budgeting, transportation, and new jobs being a few of the topics covered.
"I’m optimistic about our community. We’ve had some really good things happen in the past six months to year and better things are in store for the future. So I think people need to be optimistic in our community," Stadelman said. "There’s too much negativity at times in Rockford and the state of Illinois, and we’re having some really good announcements happening. So I think I’m primed for a really good 2024 and I want the message here that good things are happening in the Rockford area and people need to believe that that their days are ahead."
Another panel speaker, Rep. John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) emphasized the importance of state government working with local government.
"We need to make sure that we tell the people exactly what’s going on, how it’s going on, not sugarcoat. Just be direct," he said.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said he believes transparency is needed to accomplish the New Year goals.
"Here at the City of Rockford level, I think we are looking forward to a lot of work being done. We have the largest capital improvement plan in our city’s history that’s going to be hitting the streets this summer. We have the largest water and infrastructure program hitting the streets this summer. You have a lot of economic development projects in the pipeline that we need to get moving and get completed. So I think we are going to be incredibly busy," McNamara said.
ROCKFORD — Making the holidays easier and brighter was the goal for State Representative, Maurice West, Saturday afternoon as he hosted a turkey giveaway.
The event was done with support from Meridian Health and the West Side Church of God in Christ as they worked to give away 200 turkeys and sides to community members.
For Representative West, providing help during the holidays was top of mind.
"I hope they gain a sign of respect, a sign of hope, sign of love. And this is just us coming together saying, hey we appreciate you no matter what your political ideology is, I don’t care. Let this be the time of giving," West said.
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State Rep. Suzanne Ness, D-Crystal Lake, will hold two end-of-year town hall sessions to share updates and answer questions from constituents.
The town halls will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, at the Crystal Lake Public Library, 126 Paddock St., and from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the Fox River Valley Library, 555 Barrington Ave. in East Dundee.
Registration is not required. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Both individuals and business owners are welcome. Accessibility arrangements can be made by calling Ness’s office at 224-484-8620 or emailing info@repsnessil66.com.
Working for Illinois Caucus 