Politics & Government
First Petitions For March Primary Election Filed at 8 a.m.
Sixteen candidates for offices ranging from precinct committeeman to state's attorney filed petitions with the Kendall County Clerk's office Monday morning.
Kendall County Board member John Shaw was the first candidate to arrive to submit his filing petitions Monday morning – at least 15 minutes before the opened.
He was in good company, though. County Board member Anne Vickery was second, while County Board member Dan Koukol was third.
Overall, 16 people filed petitions right at 8 a.m., which . (The petitions must be processed by 5 p.m. Dec. 5, so if you arrive at the county office building or are standing in line at 5 p.m., you are too late, according to Chief Deputy County Clerk Rennetta Mickelson.)
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Then, county staff will hold a lottery at 9 a.m. Dec. 6 to determine which order the candidates who filed at 9 a.m. Monday will appear on the ballot for the March primary election.
Shaw, a Republican, said it was important to show up before 9 a.m. and try to be the first candidate listed for County Board District 1.
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“I figure if I’m going to run again, I’m going to give it a go,” said Shaw. “… It’s something you’ve got to work at. They’re not going to elect you on your good looks. At least not in my case.”
Shaw is finishing his first term as a county board member, but previously served three terms as Lisbon Township clerk.
Meanwhile, Koukol, a Republican who was first elected from County Board District 2 in 2010, downplayed the importance of being first on the ballot. He emphasized that he “stuck with the constituents” on a key vote surrounding funding for .
Judy Gilmour, a retired Oswego teacher who has lived in Yorkville for more than three decades, also filed candidate petitions for County Board District 1. She ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate in the November 2010 election and is running again for the same reason: She thinks it’s important to have new voices on the county board.
“I have a lot of support from people in the county who have encouraged me to run,” she said.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article indicated that the petition filing period started at 9 a.m. Patch regrets the error.