Dan Ziller, Jr., Runs Write-In Campaign for Grafton Township Trustee

The candidates nominated in the Grafton Township Republican primary election don’t have any opposition on the ballot, but Dan Ziller, Jr., is running one of the more high profile write-in candidacies in recent memory.

Early last week, there was an automated telephone survey asking Grafton Township residents if they favored building a new $3.5 million township building.

A second question asked if people wanted an opportunity to vote on the issue in a referendum.

Only after the two questions, did listeners learn that the robo-calls were connected to a write-in campaign for township trustee for Dan Ziller, Jr.

You may remember that Linda Moore based her campaign to oust Supervisor John Rossi on her opposition to that proposal.

Rossi has not used his control of the issue on the current township board to push the issue.

Across from the Lakewood Village Hall, I found the sign you see here.

It says,

Write in
DAN ZILLER JR.
Grafton Trustee
“No $3.5 Mil Town Hall”

Not a bad sign, in fact, an excellent color choice for a snowy background, but Grafton Township is a big one. It will take a lot of signs to get the message across.

I have observed only one successful write-in campaign in my political life.

It was Algonquin Township Assessor Forrest Hare’s re-election campaign in 1973. He had been ousted (of maybe not, because no recount was allowed) by 3 votes in a township caucus in which the exhausted judges finished counting paper ballots in mid-morning darkness. Hare won the write-in with about 60% of the vote in an intensively organized campaign and radio support virtually every weekday from WIVS-AM talk show host Mal Bellairs, who incensed that the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee would not allow a recount.

The details are contained in these articles:

To Let People Vote in Township Primaries or Not – Part 1

To Let People Vote in Township Primaries or Not – Part 2

It should be noted that none of the Democrats running for Algonquin or Nunda Township office were nominated at the ballot box. All were picked in party caucuses on one of the coldest nights of the winter.


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