Democrats want Joliet, Lockport township candidates on April ballot

Democrats contend that they have taken the needed steps to keep Cesar Guerrero and Kevin “Kollins” Hedemark on the April 1 ballot in Joliet and Lockport townships.

Guerrero, a Joliet City Council member, has opted to run for township supervisor but faces an uphill battle after the Will County clerk announced this week that he and Hedemark would not be on the ballot.

Hedemark wants to run for Lockport Township Highway Commission, a position now held by the brother of Will County Clerk Annette Parker.

Parker announced Tuesday that Guerrero and Hedemark were among four candidates that would not be on the ballot because their names were on a ballot forfeiture list issued Jan. 23 by the Illinois State Board of Elections. The list contains names of people barred from appearing on Illinois ballots because of unpaid fines for past campaign violations.

“I really didn’t have a choice,” Parker said when asked about removing Hedemark from the ballot. “I just have to follow the law. I don’t know what more to say.”

Parker consulted with the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office before making the decision.

Her brother, James Louch Jr., is the Republican candidate on the ballot.

Hedemark and Guerrero have since paid their fines, but whether it was too late to get back on the ballot is a key issue, although not the only one.

“I think this will be sorted out,” Jack Londrigan, a Democratic Party consultant, said Friday.

Londrigan said party organizations in Joliet and Lockport townships this week followed procedures required to fill ballot vacancies and voted for Guerrero and Hedemark to fill the vacancies.

The votes were taken after the county clerk notified township clerk offices of the vacancies Jan. 29, Londrigan said.

“The fines were paid swiftly, which put them in compliance with the state statutes,” he said.

The township organizations took the votes Monday. Paperwork required to fill ballot vacancies was filed Wednesday, and there is evidence of the filing, he said.

Kim Fladhammer, chief of staff for the county clerk’s office, said Thursday afternoon that no paperwork was received.

Fladhammer said the filing would be too late to meet a deadline of eight days after the ballot certification date of Jan. 23.

But Londrigan said Parker did not give notice to the townships of the ballot vacancies until Jan. 29.

“There was no way for anyone to know that these candidates were removed from the ballot on Jan. 23 when that decision was made,” he said.