Incumbent Terry Morris Pays Fine To State Election Board

JOLIET, IL - Last October there were questions whether incumbent Joliet City Councilman Terry Morris would even seek re-election. Morris was the subject of a hefty $31,850 fine levied by the Illinois State Board of Elections, plus another $5,000 fine for failing to comply with a board order.

Morris was first elected to the Joliet City Council in 2011. However, in recent years his political action committee had turned into an accounting mess.

Last fall, Joliet Patch was the first news agency to report that the state election board had issued the large fine against the Citizens To Elect Terry Morris. Since then, Morris has cleared up all of his problems with the state election board, the agency informed Joliet Patch this week.

The east-side councilman's campaign committee agreed to pay the election board $18,425 to resolve the matter in late January.

Original Patch story: Terry Morris Fined $31,850 By State Board of Elections

"The settlement was necessary to avoid ballot forfeiture for the April 2 election," Matt Dietrich, public information officer for the Illinois State Board of Elections, informed Joliet Patch this week. "He is now clear to be on the ballot."

And that's why you see Terry Morris campaign signs all over Joliet as the April 2 election nears. Morris, who operates the Minor-Morris Funeral Home on Richards Street and has been a resident of Joliet since 1989, is in a battle for re-election against Suzanna Ibarra.

According to her political campaign bio, Suzanna Ibarra was born and raised in Joliet and is the chairwoman of the Will County Progressives. "In 2005, after the murder of her beloved sister in law, she secured a donation from the Will County State's Attorney's Office to start Survivors of Homicide, a support group for families impacted by violent crimes," the website notes.

Regarding campaign donations, the Illinois Sunshine website currently lists the Citizens to Elect Terry Morris for city of Joliet District 5 Councilman as having $15,115 in cash on hand.

The non-profit campaign finance reform website notes that Morris has received two large donations since he straightened out his campaign problems with the state.

Those donations to Citizens to Elect Terry Morris included a $1,000 donation on Jan. 29 from Joliet Firefighters Local 44 Political Action Committee and $1,740 on Feb. 15 from Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor Management PAC.

As for the District 5 challenger, the Illinois Sunshine website indicates that Ibarra has a political action committee called Suzy for Joliet 5. The website listed her committee as having $279 in cash on hand. The category for Top 25 donors lists "No Donations Found."

Both Morris and Ibarra recently appeared at a Joliet City Council candidates forum that was videotaped in its entirety and placed on YouTube. You can watch the entire forum below.