Four Joliet council candidates face election challenge

The former head of a city union has filed challenges against petitions submitted by four Joliet City Council candidates in the April election.

The challenge, if successful, would remove the candidates from the ballot.

The filing petitions of incumbent council member Cesar Guerrero as well as challengers Larry Crawford, Jim Lanham and Marzell Richardson III are being challenged.

“They shouldn’t be running,” said John Dillon, who filed the challenges. “They didn’t even bother to get the appropriate number of signatures.”

The city’s electoral board will hold a hearing on the challenge Tuesday but has indicated that its ruling will come later. The hearing is at 2 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 150 W. Jefferson St.

A quick look at the petitions filed by the candidates indicated that they obtained more than the 158 signatures required in the election. Candidates typically acquire far beyond the required number of signatures to ensure that their petitions survive challenges to particular signatures that could be questioned for authenticity.

Dillon is a former employee of the city, where he worked in the Public Works Department. He was the local leader of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union representing employees in public works and other departments. Until last month, he also chaired the Joliet Plan Commission. Dillon was replaced by Mayor Terry D’Arcy after his term ended.

If the challenge is successful, it would reduce a field of eight candidates in the at-large council election to five. Voters will choose three at-large council members April 1.

Other candidates who filed are incumbent council members Jan Quillman and Joe Clement, and challengers Damon Zdunich, Juan Moreno and Glenda Wright-McCullum.