GOP candidate appeals removal from La Salle County coroner’s race

An Ottawa physician said his name was improperly removed from the Nov. 5 ballot for La Salle County coroner. Now, Dr. Lawrence Powell wants a judge to put him back on the ballot.

Powell, a Republican who was removed from the race on June 17, has filed an appeal in La Salle County Circuit Court. Court dates are pending. The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Troy D. Holland.

In his pleading, Powell said a three-member panel got it wrong in sustaining a ballot challenge filed by Democrat Rich Ploch, the incumbent coroner seeking reelection.

Ploch’s lawyer, La Salle attorney Tom McClintock, had said Powell missed a key deadline and circulated numerous petitions outside the time frame spelled out by the Election Code – indeed, circulated petitions before the GOP even selected him.

“You have to dot the Is and cross the Ts to stay on the ballot,” McClintock said.

Now, Powell has said the La Salle County Republican Central Committee slated him on March 13 – an affidavit from chairman Larry Smith was filed at the courthouse – and that the petitions were circulated within the correct timeline.

Powell said the panel based its decision on an “inaccurate” reading of the statute and “improperly applied the law in sustaining (Ploch’s) objection.” Powell also cited case law that he said supports him being restored to the ballot.

The three-member review panel was comprised of La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro (a Democrat), County Clerk Jennifer Ebner (a Republican) and Circuit Clerk Greg Vaccaro (a Republican). The trio emerged from closed-door deliberations and unanimously upheld Ploch’s challenge.