A Will County Electoral Board ruled 2-1 decision Wednesday that Homer Glen resident Kevin Koukol cannot appear on the Democratic primary ballot for Will County board after he incorrectly listed the wrong district on his statement of candidacy.
Three people filed to run in the March 17 Democratic primary for District 4, which includes Homer Glen, Mokena and portions of Lockport, New Lenox, Tinley Park and Orland Park. Voters select two candidates from the Republican and Democratic primaries who will vie for two seats in the November election.
Candidate Sheri Boniecki-Cooling challenged the petitions for Koukol and William Pratt. After a hearing last month, Pratt was found to have enough eligible signatures to appear on the primary ballot.
But the Electoral Board, made up of Will County Treasurer Tim Brophy, Circuit Court Clerk Andrea Lynn Chasteen and Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Pyles, ruled that Koukol writing on his candidacy papers that he was running for District 6 instead of District 4 was enough of an error to be removed from the ballot.
The Will County clerk’s office notified Mark Garwon, a former Homer Township trustee who was turning in the petition papers on Koukol’s behalf, that Koukol wrote the wrong district on the papers. The papers had been notarized, and Garwon crossed off the 6 and wrote the correct district, 4, on the papers before submitting them.
Pyles said this goes “beyond a minor error” and candidates or their agents cannot change information at the clerk’s office counter. He said he was bothered by the fact that someone other than the candidate altered the papers.
Chasteen said there was no indication Koukol was told about the corrections before they were made, and there was time for Koukol to make the proper corrections, get them notarized and turn in the petition papers the right way.
Brophy was the only dissenter, saying he was thinking about the voters who signed the petition papers for Koukol.
Koukol’s attorney Robert Windon said he disagreed with the Electoral Board’s decision and believed the law was misapplied. Windon said the clerk’s office knew what office Koukol was seeking and there was no voter confusion.
Koukol sought the office of Homer Glen trustee last spring.
Koukol said he plans to appeal the decision because he believes the petitions contained a minor error.
He has been adamantly against the Will County transportation department’s plans to widen 143rd Street and wants to look into other county projects including roadwork and business, liquor and gaming licenses.
Boniecki-Cooling, a member of the Homer Township Democratic Organization, Illinois Democratic Women of Will County and Homer Township Open Space committee, said handling notarized documents properly is a serious issue.
“It’s reassuring to see that clear irregularities weren’t overlooked and that integrity in the process still matters,” she said.
Boniecki-Cooling, who ran for the board seat four years ago, said she is a community advocate and not a career politician. She said she is running for smart growth and infrastructure improvements, environmental sustainability, open space preservation, fiscal transparency and responsible budgeting.
“I’ve always believed in showing up, speaking out and doing the work to make things better right here in Will County,” she said.
The District 4 seat is now held by Republicans Steve Balich, of Homer Glen, and Jim Richmond, of Mokena, who are seeking reelection.
Gawron was part of the adminsitration when Balich was Homer Township supervisor, and Balich notarized his letter to the Electoral Board explaining the error.
Balich and Richmond are being challenged in the Republican primary by Homer Glen Trustee Michael Lepore and Pawel J. Tyrala, a part-time farmer and businessman.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
