The city of Elgin announced Thursday (Aug. 23, 2018)  that a vacant seat on City Council will not be filled until the 2019 election. The seat was vacated on Friday, Aug. 10, when former council member Richard Dunne resigned to take a new job out of state.

Richard Dunne

“With under a year remaining on the vacant term, the City Council has no desire to fill the position until the citizens of Elgin cast their votes in the spring,” said Mayor David Kaptain. 
 
Petitions for candidacy for the 2019 Elgin municipal election are available in the City Clerk’s Office located in City Hall, Room 202, 150 Dexter Court. The Elgin City Council will have the position of mayor, four council seats for a four-year term and one council  seat for a two-year term open in the 2019 election.

Petitions for nomination must be filed with the City Clerk’s Office no sooner than 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 19, and no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. The placement of names on the ballot will be in the order of filing.

The City Clerk’s Office will not accept any petition for filing after 5 p.m. on the last day of the filing period. This applies to any individual(s) waiting in line as of the 5 p.m. deadline who has not yet filed his/her petition(s).

Necessary qualifications to hold the offices of council member or mayor include:

(a) A person is not eligible for an elective municipal office unless that person is a qualified elector of the municipality and has resided in the municipality at least one year next preceding the election or appointment. [65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(a)]

(b) A person is not eligible to take the oath for a municipal office if that person is, at the time required for taking the oath of office, in arrears in the payment of a tax or other indebtedness due to the municipality or has been convicted in any court located in the United States of any infamous crime, bribery, perjury, or other felony. [65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(b)]

(c) One-year residency in the city preceding the election. Note that if a person is a resident of a municipality immediately prior to the active duty military service of that person or that person’s spouse, resides anywhere outside of the municipality during that active duty military service, and immediately upon completion of that active duty military service is again a resident of the municipality, then the time during which the person resides outside the municipality during the active duty military service is deemed to be time during which the person is a resident of the municipality for purposes of determining the resident requirement. [65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(d)]

(d) A person convicted of a felony, bribery, perjury or other infamous crime shall be ineligible to hold an office created by the Illinois Constitution, unless eligibility has otherwise been restored as provided by law.     (Illinois Constitution, Article XIII, Section 1)

A Consolidated Primary Election will only be required if more than 16 electors file their candidacy for the four council terms up for election;  if more than four electors file their candidacy for mayor; or if more than four electors file their candidacy for the two-year council term up for election.

If a Consolidated Primary Election is necessary, it will be held on Feb. 26, 2019. The Consolidated General Election will be held on April 2, 2019.

For more information regarding the 2019 municipal election, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 847-931-5660 or the Illinois State Board of Elections at 312-814-6440 (Chicago office) or 217-782-4141 (Springfield office).   You may also access the Illinois State Board of Election’s website at www.elections.il.us.