Just in case you missed it, Tom Kacich reported today that Courtney Walker of Champaign filed an objection to Petry’s petition. It turns out that Joe Petry wrote the incorrect election date on his petition. If you refer to Mickey J. Mouse example in full election packet provided to mayoral candidates, the election date was clearly provided in the sample instructions.
Is this a big deal? Joe Petry commented “this is a minor issue” in the News-Gazette article, however, past precedent suggests this is a very big deal. The election board, according to the N-G article, who will decide Petry’s fate is comprised of Michael La Due, Tom Bruno, and City Clerk Marilyn Banks. This exact same threesome sustained an almost identical objection by Jeanine Naddy to the nomination of Wayne Mingee in January 2007. The details of that decision can be read below.
I am not an attorney, but the future of Joe Petry’s mayoral candidacy does not seem bright if the same electoral board follows their own precedent. It will be very interesting to see how this situation develops and how this particular electoral board might justify keeping Petry on the ballot after sustaining a very similar objection in the past.
Stay tuned.