Lencioni’s name to remain on April election ballot

Paul Lencioni’s name will remain on the April 6 election ballot after the St. Charles Electoral Board on Monday dismissed an objection to Lencioni’s nominating papers because the objection was incomplete.

The St. Charles Electoral Board – comprised of St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina, 1st Ward Alderman Dan Stellato and 2nd Ward Alderman Art Lemke, voted unanimously to dismiss the objection. Amenta has five days to file a petition for judicial review in the Kane County Circuit Court.

Lencioni, president and CEO of Blue Goose Market in St. Charles, is running for 3rd Ward alderman on the St. Charles City Council. St. Charles City Clerk Charles Amenta, who is also running for the seat, filed the objection. He challenged Lencioni’s legal qualifications and eligibility for the seat.

City code currently prohibits St. Charles public officials – including local liquor control commission members, the mayor and aldermen – from obtaining or holding a liquor license in the city. Lencioni holds a liquor license because Blue Goose sells alcohol.

In recently addressing aldermen about the issues, he wasn’t able to convince the majority of aldermen that the prohibition should be dropped. The state’s liquor control act allows an alderman or mayor to obtain a liquor license for a location in the city as long as the the sale of alcohol is incidental to the selling of food. However, they are not able to vote on alcohol related items.

Laura Julian, Lencioni’s attorney, had filed a motion to dismiss the objection. She noted objection failed to include the interest of the objector, a full statement of the nature of the objection and the relief expected by the electoral board as required by law.

“There is no full nature of the objection submitted,” Julian said. “There is a broad based allegation regarding the legal qualifications of the objector and their eligibility.”

Thomas Bastian, legal counsel for the board, also recommended the objection be dismissed.

“Once you file an objection, it may not be amended,” he said. “For better or for worse, that’s the election code. That’s the law. And the courts have been very strict in enforcing that.”

In response, Amenta said, “The legal qualifications of Mr. Lencioni are at the heart of the argument.”

“He has spoken publicly about not being legally qualified to hold the office of alderman,” he said. “That is not ambiguous or general in any way, shape or form.”

Rogina said the issue of whether Lencioni can hold office has been discussed at length.

“The people will send the message at the ballot box,” he said.