A Park Ridge aldermanic candidate says he is considering a write-in campaign after being knocked off the April 4 election ballot due to a lack of valid voter signatures.
An examination of 6th Ward candidate Patrick DeStefano’s nominating petitions by the Cook County Clerk’s Office found 17 of the 67 signatures he had collected were invalid, leaving him without the minimum number of signatures needed for his name to appear on the ballot. The findings were announced by City Attorney Julie Tappendorf during Monday’s hearing of the Park Ridge Municipal Officers Electoral Board, consisting of City Clerk Betty Henneman, acting Mayor Marty Maloney and 4th Ward Ald. Roger Shubert.
“In this case, a candidate must have 67 valid signatures of registered voters at the address they signed next to — and who signed their own name — in order to qualify to run for this particular office,” Tappendorf said.
Current 6th Ward Ald. Marc Mazzuca, who is running for re-election, had filed an objection to opponent DeStefano’s candidacy, claiming 22 signatures on his nominating petitions were invalid because they belonged to non-registered voters, were not actually signed by the person who was named, or contained missing, incorrect or inadequate addresses.
The Cook County Clerk’s Office examination supported Mazzuca’s objection to 17 of the 22 signatures, and the three-member Park Ridge Municipal Officers Electoral Board agreed to uphold these objections, removing DeStefano from the ballot.
Initially, DeStefano’s attorney, Leonard Cannata, asked the electoral board for more time to collect sworn affidavits from the residents whose signatures were deemed invalid, but Mazzuca objected to this request, saying that the electoral board’s own rules required any objections from the candidate be filed within 24 hours after the records examination by the county clerk’s office was complete.
Cannata later agreed that his client would be unable to obtain the required affidavits that would give DeStefano the minimum number of valid signatures he needed to appear on the ballot.
Mazzuca had also objected to DeStefano’s notarized Statement of Candidacy, saying the original notarization date had been altered and the change was not initialed by DeStefano or the notary public. The electoral board did agree to overrule this objection.
“I think both Cook County and the board found correctly that Mr. DeStefano didn’t put in the amount of work necessary to be on the ballot,” Mazzuca said following the hearing.
DeStefano said he would have liked time to get sworn affidavits from the people who signed his petitions, but expressed confidence that he could mount a successful write-in campaign against Mazzuca. DeStefano said he collected 67 signatures during very cold temperatures “so I think I can manage a write-in campaign without wasting everyone’s time here.”
Henneman said residents who wish to run as registered write-in candidates must file an official form with her office. No voter signatures are required to be a registered write-in candidate, she said.
DeStefano, a four-year resident of Park Ridge, acknowledged in December that his candidacy was “a last-minute idea,” motivated in part by the fact that he feels “nothing really changes” in the city. He expressed frustration with getting a “gap” in this street repaired successfully and that his neighborhood had not been chosen for soundproofing though the O’Hare Residential Sound Insulation Program, which is not a Park Ridge initiative.
DeStefano is vice president and general manager of his family’s business, Mr. Beef and Pizza on Harlem on Chicago’s Northwest Side, and said he also works in day trading and investing. He has not previously served on any city boards or commissions
Mazzuca, who was appointed to the City Council in June 2012, was elected to a full four-year term in 2013 after defeating opponent Vincent LaVecchia. During his time on the council, Mazzuca has been critical of spending within the city’s Public Works Department and pushed for improvements in the city’s bidding process for good and services, leading to the hiring of a procurement officer and new procurement practices.
Mazzuca, who is chairman of the City Council’s procedures and regulations committee and has a professional background in finance, said his plans for a second term include “continued fiscal discipline, investing in infrastructure and continuing to hold city staff accountable for quality services and responsiveness to residents.”
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
