19-Year-Old Glenview Trustee Candidate's Signatures Challenged

GLENVIEW, IL — The only independent candidate who filed paperwork to run for a seat on the Glenview Village Board faces a petition challenge to get on the ballot. On Wednesday, the village electoral board is set to consider an objection to the validity of nominating signatures filed by Benjamin Polony.

Polony, 19, announced his candidacy for village trustee on Dec. 17, the final day to submit nominating paperwork. He was the seventh candidate to file to appear on the ballot in the April 2, 2019. Two full slates of candidates, three from the incumbent Citizens for Glenview caucus and three from the newly-formed Better Government in Glenview party, are also competing for three seats on the village board.

The race marks the first time since 2001 Glenview voters have had an opportunity to choose candidates from two full slates. Polony's campaign is not affiliated with either slate.

Four Glenview residents filed identical objections on Dec. 24 seeking to keep Polony off the ballot: Elizabeth A. Brown, of the 1000 block of Terrace Lane, Kathleen Gazda of the 2500 block of Pick Drive and Judith and Paul Traynor of the 1100 block of Pine Street.

They claim Polony's nominating petitions contain signatures that are not genuine signatures and are forgeries, names of people who are not registered at the listed address and people whose addresses are missing, incomplete or not within the village, according to a copy of their petition.

"It seems that the challenge that they have mounted against me is just an attempt to scare me off the ballot, it's nothing that is actually true or serious," Polony told Patch."They haven't done their research, obviously."

Polony said he submitted 284 signatures and the challengers are seeking to invalidate 162 of them. If more than 64 of them are found to be invalid, his name will not be included in the ballot.

No affidavits were submitted to substantiate the claim that the signatures were not valid, according to Polony. If necessary, he said he would appeal to Cook County court and collect sworn documents from those who signed his nominating petitions. The objectors are trying to keep him off the ballot to make the election easier for the two slates of candidates, Polony said.

Glenview Communications Director Lynne Stiefel declined to provide a copy of the objections, although they are public records. She did not respond to queries regarding who made the decision to restrict public access to the objections prior to the meeting. The village did not respond to a public records request Monday, the same day the legally required notice of the electoral board hearing was officially published. (Update: The village provided a copy of objectors petitions less than an hour before the hearing was scheduled to begin Wednesday. Polony said he only received notification of the date and time of the hearing as a result of inquiries from Glenview Patch for this article. Read more...)

Polony, a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago pursuing a degree in public policy, has been a field office manager for former U.S. Senator Mark Kirk and an intern with the villages of Northbrook and Schaumburg, according to his campaign. His policy platform focuses on infrastructure and redevelopment, environmental sustainability and fiscal responsibility.

His campaign has touted endorsements from young political activists from both sides of the political spectrum, including Jake Leahy, 19, a Deerfield conservative and the youngest elected official in the state and a board member of Bannockburn School District 106, and Bushra Amiwala, 19, a Skokie progressive who challenged Commissioner Larry Suffredin for a seat on the Cook County Board and is now seeking a seat on the Skokie School District 73.5 Board.

The Glenview Municipal Officers Electoral Board will rule on the objections. The three-member board is chaired by Village President Jim Patterson and includes Debby Karton, senior trustee on the village board, and Village Manager Matt Formica in his capacity as village clerk. The electoral board hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday at Village Hall.

Earlier: 7 Candidates Running For 3 Seats On Glenview Village Board