A Fox Lake doctor who sued the Illinois Republican Party after officials told him he couldn’t run for Republican state central committeeman will be allowed to run under the terms of a settlement approved Friday.
William C. Dam, an internist with a private practice in Ingleside, filed his lawsuit Monday in Cook County Circuit Court against the party and Lee Daniels, the state Republican chairman and GOP leader of the Illinois House.
Dam, Republican precinct committeeman for Grant Township, told party officials he wanted to run in November for state central committeeman for the 8th Congressional District, a position held by Bob Neal of Wadsworth.
In his lawsuit, Dam alleged that the central committee met Feb. 19 to amend the rules for becoming a candidate for committeeman. It instituted a rule requiring a written declaration of candidacy be filed by March 11, but it did not inform Dam or others outside the committee of the new deadline.
Dam missed the deadline. Neal was informed of the deadline and was the only candidate who qualified to run for the 8th District committeeman post.
Until the state central committee changed the rules, the only formal qualification for the post was that a candidate voted a Republican ballot in the March primary. A candidate declared his or her candidacy after the primary.
Under terms of the settlement approved Friday by Circuit Judge Nathaniel Roosevelt Howse Jr., Neal withdrew his nomination, according to court documents.
The vacancy created by Neal’s withdrawal means candidates for the post can be nominated from the floor at the Lake County Republican convention Monday evening in Waukegan, officials said.
Neal and Dam likely will be nominated, said Antonietta “Ant” Simonian, executive director of the Lake County Republican Federation.
Members of the Republican state central committee are responsible for filling vacancies for the party’s nominees for statewide office. If a Republican Party candidate for governor dies or resigns before a general election, for example, the committee would select a successor.
Dam played down the dispute Friday, calling it “a little family discussion about a procedural issue.”
