Competing Homer Township Republicans force February primary

Homer Township — Homer Township will need to hold a primary election Feb. 25 before the consolidated election April 1 because of a large number of Republican candidates who registered to run.

Homer Township residents who choose to take part will be voting on Republican candidates running for the offices of township supervisor, township clerk, township assessor, township collector, township highway commissioner and township trustee, for which there are four open spots.

In the race for supervisor, incumbent Stephen Balich is being challenged by village of Homer Glen Trustee Susanna Steilen.

Incumbent Township Clerk Vicki Bozen is being challenged by Tamara “Tami” O’Brien.

Township Collector Mike Gondek is not running for another term. Residents will have a choice between Rose Fialko and Sara Palermo.

Current Highway Commissioner Brent Porfilio is facing a challenge from John Robinson.

There are eight candidates seeking four open trustee seats on the township board. Voters will be able to choose four to support in the primary.

Current Trustees Michael Clausen, Angel Constance Marie Shake and Michael Bonomo are seeking reelection. They are joined in the race by Dominic Joseph Pacella, Keith Gray, Christina “Chris” Sievers, Kenneth “Ken” Marcin and Donald Melody. Trustee Rob Rivera is not running in the primary.

Township Assessor Carmen Maurella III is the only elected official running unopposed.

Homer Township is one of only two government bodies in Will County holding a primary this February, along with the city of Aurora, of which a portion lies within the county.

Registered voters in Homer Township can request a mail-in ballot for the primary until Feb. 20. Requests for mail-in ballots can be made online at the Will County Clerk’s Office website or over the phone.

Early voting for the primary also will be held at the Will County Clerk’s Office, 302 N. Chicago St. in Joliet, through Feb. 24 during normal business hours.

On the day of the election, Homer Township residents will be able to vote in person at Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church, Cross of Glory Lutheran Church, the Lockport Township Building, Northwest Homer Fire Station 1, Parker Road Bible Church and the Will County Clerk’s Office. All residents can vote at any location.

Sample ballots and detailed polling place information is available on the Will County Clerk’s Office website on the elections page.

The winners of the primary will face Democratic challengers in the April 1 consolidated election.

Referenda on the ballot

Homer Township voters also will be asked to vote on three advisory referenda.

The three referenda are only nonbinding advisory questions and largely deal with state-level political questions.

The three questions are:

• “Should the state of Illinois enact constitutional pension reform to protect workers' existing retirement and generate savings, which could provide property tax relief or be reinvested in the community?”
• “Should the state of Illinois be allowed to force unfunded mandates on local governments who may raise property taxes to cover the costs of those mandates?”
• “Should the state of Illinois create an independent citizens commission to draw fair and competitive federal and state redistricting maps, rather than allowing lawmakers to decide?”

Although these questions address ongoing debates across state and national politics, it is unclear what the township will do to act on the voters' decisions beyond lobbying Springfield in the event that they are approved, as they all require state action.

Last year, the village of Homer Glen and Homer Township faced a similar conflict when the village voted “yes” on a referendum meant to dissolve the township as an entity, something it does not have the power to do.