McHenry County Blog

Woodstock’s Jonathan Farnick was passing petitions at the August 26th meeting of the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee.

“A person with her voting record doesn’t deserve re-election,” Farnick told me.

Now, Democrats are trying to kick him and 8th congressional district Green Party candidate Bill Scheurer off the ballot.

No one from the left side of the political spectrum apparently is considered eligible to run against incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean.

Two years ago, Farnick filed as a Democratic Party candidate and Scheurer’s wife Randi, who was also a candidate against Bean in the primary, filed a successful objection against his candidacy and won. It was based on Farnick’s having too few petition signatures.Gregory Ferritto, 1526 Anderson Trail in Zion, is the challenger to Bill Scheurer’s petitions.

Same with Farnick.

It appears the same Ferritto challenged Green Party candidate Iain Abernathy in 2008. At that time Ferritto sported a Winthrop Harbor address.

He works for the Post Office and has contributed to the Committee On Letter Carriers Political Education.

There were not challenges among six Republicans running in the 8th district GOP primary.

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Jonathon Farnick is seen at the top of the story; Bill Scheurer at the bottom.

Iain Abernathy apparently signed the paperwork to make himself the Green Party candidate for congress in the 8th congressional district against incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean and Republican challenger Steve Greenberg.

Nothing too strange about that, except state law says the nominating committee shall be made up of elected precinct committeemen.

While the Green Party had elected precinct committeemen in McHenry County, the Greens apparently had none in Lake County.

The State Board of Elections, which is evenly divided between the two power parties, decided that Abernathy could not be on the ballot this fall.

“The nominating committee which selected candidate Iain Abernathy was not properly constituted as the candidate, who was not a lawful member of the 8th District Congressional Committee, participated in and voted at the meeting of said Congressional Committee thereby tainting the decision of the Committee,”

the ruling said.

The board’s conclusion:

“As a result of the unlawful composition and conduct of the meeting referred to in paragraph A., the Resolution to Fill the Vacancy in Nomination that was executed at said meeting and filed with the State Board of Elections is not valid.”

Abernathy began the election cycle as Bill Scheurer’s Moderate Party candidate Abernathy Taints His Own Nomination for Congress for congress in the 8th. Then Scheurer urged Moderate Party members to join the Green Party.

Next, the Greens announced the slating of Abernathy. This candidacy was challenged Gregory Ferritto by Waukegan’s Gregory Ferritto.

Abernathy can appeal the election board decision in court.

Abernathy’s attorney was Scott Summers, who is the Green Party candidate for congress in the neighboring 16th congressional district. Summers’ Green Party slating was not challenged, although a Barrington Hills contributor of Democratic Party candidate and Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud did so successfully after Summers filed petition signatures for the Green Party primary election.

Iain Abernathy apparently signed the paperwork to make himself the Green Party candidate for congress in the 8th congressional district against incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean and Republican challenger Steve Greenberg.

Nothing too strange about that, except state law says the nominating committee shall be made up of elected precinct committeemen.

While the Green Party had elected precinct committeemen in McHenry County, the Greens apparently had none in Lake County.

The State Board of Elections, which is evenly divided between the two power parties, decided that Abernathy could not be on the ballot this fall.

“The nominating committee which selected candidate Iain Abernathy was not properly constituted as the candidate, who was not a lawful member of the 8th District Congressional Committee, participated in and voted at the meeting of said Congressional Committee thereby tainting the decision of the Committee,”

the ruling said.

The board’s conclusion:

“As a result of the unlawful composition and conduct of the meeting referred to in paragraph A., the Resolution to Fill the Vacancy in Nomination that was executed at said meeting and filed with the State Board of Elections is not valid.”

Abernathy began the election cycle as Bill Scheurer’s Moderate Party candidate Abernathy Taints His Own Nomination for Congress for congress in the 8th. Then Scheurer urged Moderate Party members to join the Green Party.

Next, the Greens announced the slating of Abernathy. This candidacy was challenged Gregory Ferritto by Waukegan’s Gregory Ferritto.

Abernathy can appeal the election board decision in court.

Abernathy’s attorney was Scott Summers, who is the Green Party candidate for congress in the neighboring 16th congressional district. Summers’ Green Party slating was not challenged, although a Barrington Hills contributor of Democratic Party candidate and Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud did so successfully after Summers filed petition signatures for the Green Party primary election.

The Green Party slated Iain Abernathy for congress in the 8th congressional district against U.S. Representative Melissa Bean, the Democratic Party incumbent and Republican Steve Greenberg.

Abernathy had previously been the announced candidate for the Moderate Party put together by Bill Scheurer. That party’s primary platform plank opposed the Iraq War. Moderate Party candidate Scheurer exceeded the 5% vote threshold in his 2006 run against Bean and Republican David McSweeney. That meant the party become a so-called “established party,” meaning it could slate candidates.

But apparently no one ran for precinct committeeman.

The process for slating candidates has precinct representatives from each county (or at least one) in a congressional district meeting to name a congressional candidate.

After Randi Scheurer, Bill Scheurer’s wife, lost the Democratic Party primary to Bean, the 2006 candidate urged his 8th congressional district party to join the Green Party.

The Greens slated Abernathy.

Then, a challenge was filed by Gregory Ferritto, 2219 Ninth Street in Winthrop Harbor, to the legitimacy of Abernathy’s slating for the Green Party nomination is pending before the State Board of Elections. It is pending.

The challenge is based on there being no elected precinct committeemen in Lake County, although there are in McHenry and elected township and ward committeemen in Cook. The argument seems to be that the committee needed to have elected committeemen from all counties in the district in order to nominate Abernathy. From what I can understand, prior decisions in a case like this (and other similar challenges to Green Party candidates) do not exist.

Here’s what Abernathy has to say about the challenge on his blog:

Before the primary I filed my papers to be in the Moderate Party primary. The grossly misnamed Democratic Party filed an objection because I did not meet the signature requirements. This is no great surprise as the two major parties have built a system to exclude everyone but themselves.

The Green Party, however, slated me as their candidate for the general election in November. This is allowed in Illinois election law, and was done in accordance with the law. Now, the same Democrat stooge, Gregory Ferritto, has filed another objection with the Illinois Board of Elections. This was clearly done to harass me and take resources away from my campaign. Neither the party nor the individual has any honor.

Mr. Ferritto, if you do not hate democracy I call on you to apologize for your shameful actions. I am an honest working person, unlike the Democratic candidate for whom you sold your soul. I will actually have an impact on my job for me to take time off to fight it. I suspect you know this and don’t care. Your candidate doesn’t actually do her job except when there are campaign dollars involved. If you believe in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people you will go to Springfield and argue that I should be on the ballot in November. Of course, we know that you will not do this. You are not a man but a mouse. (my apologies to mice)

Abernathy’s petitions were picked up by Kevin Fanning, 520 S. 2nd St. Springfield.

16th congressional district Green Party candidate Scott Summers’ petitions were successfully challenged by a Barrington Hills contributor of Democratic Party congressional candidate Robert Abboud. Summers was slated by a committee of elected Green Party precinct committeemen. His slated candidacy drew no challenge.

The Green Party slated Iain Abernathy for congress in the 8th congressional district against U.S. Representative Melissa Bean, the Democratic Party incumbent and Republican Steve Greenberg.

Abernathy had previously been the announced candidate for the Moderate Party put together by Bill Scheurer. That party’s primary platform plank opposed the Iraq War. Moderate Party candidate Scheurer exceeded the 5% vote threshold in his 2006 run against Bean and Republican David McSweeney. That meant the party become a so-called “established party,” meaning it could slate candidates.

But apparently no one ran for precinct committeeman.

The process for slating candidates has precinct representatives from each county (or at least one) in a congressional district meeting to name a congressional candidate.

After Randi Scheurer, Bill Scheurer’s wife, lost the Democratic Party primary to Bean, the 2006 candidate urged his 8th congressional district party to join the Green Party.

The Greens slated Abernathy.

Then, a challenge was filed by Gregory Ferritto, 2219 Ninth Street in Winthrop Harbor, to the legitimacy of Abernathy’s slating for the Green Party nomination is pending before the State Board of Elections. It is pending.

The challenge is based on there being no elected precinct committeemen in Lake County, although there are in McHenry and elected township and ward committeemen in Cook. The argument seems to be that the committee needed to have elected committeemen from all counties in the district in order to nominate Abernathy. From what I can understand, prior decisions in a case like this (and other similar challenges to Green Party candidates) do not exist.

Here’s what Abernathy has to say about the challenge on his blog:

Before the primary I filed my papers to be in the Moderate Party primary. The grossly misnamed Democratic Party filed an objection because I did not meet the signature requirements. This is no great surprise as the two major parties have built a system to exclude everyone but themselves.

The Green Party, however, slated me as their candidate for the general election in November. This is allowed in Illinois election law, and was done in accordance with the law. Now, the same Democrat stooge, Gregory Ferritto, has filed another objection with the Illinois Board of Elections. This was clearly done to harass me and take resources away from my campaign. Neither the party nor the individual has any honor.

Mr. Ferritto, if you do not hate democracy I call on you to apologize for your shameful actions. I am an honest working person, unlike the Democratic candidate for whom you sold your soul. I will actually have an impact on my job for me to take time off to fight it. I suspect you know this and don’t care. Your candidate doesn’t actually do her job except when there are campaign dollars involved. If you believe in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people you will go to Springfield and argue that I should be on the ballot in November. Of course, we know that you will not do this. You are not a man but a mouse. (my apologies to mice)

Abernathy’s petitions were picked up by Kevin Fanning, 520 S. 2nd St. Springfield.

16th congressional district Green Party candidate Scott Summers’ petitions were successfully challenged by a Barrington Hills contributor of Democratic Party congressional candidate Robert Abboud. Summers was slated by a committee of elected Green Party precinct committeemen. His slated candidacy drew no challenge.