Challengers to incumbent Dixmoor trustees removed from ballot

The race for Dixmoor trustee will likely be uncontested as half the candidates were removed from the ballot Wednesday, leaving just three candidates for the three open seats in the April 4 election.

The Dixmoor Municipal Officers Electoral Board voted to remove Alda Leavy-Skinner, Cynthia J. Mossuto and Raymond Lavigne as candidates for village trustee, said village attorney James Vasselli.

That leaves incumbents Teatroy Webster, Toni Mitchell and Judnita Smith uncontested.

Lavigne said Thursday the hearing was “unethical and unprofessional.”

“It was very, very unfair. The mayor and his trustees have control of the board and they’re on the electoral board,” Lavigne said.

The electoral board was comprised of Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts, Clerk Juanita Darden and Village Trustee Dwayne Tyson, and met Feb. 15 and Feb. 27 to review objections to nominating petitions. The board voted 2-0 Wednesday to uphold the objections, with Darden not in attendance.

Each candidate had different objections, Vasselli said, but all three had objections for not complying with Illinois law when filling candidacy paperwork.

“All three will not be on the ballot at this time,” Vasselli said.

Lavigne said the objections filed against him were that he didn’t circulate his own petition, which he said he did, and that he falsified signatures, which he stated he had affidavits to prove he did not. Another objection against him, Lavigne said, was that his sister was his notary public, which he said was true as his sister is a certified notary public.

The three candidates who were removed could file a petition for judicial review to be reinstated on the ballot, Vasselli said. Lavigne said Thursday he was would take the case to court.

Leavy-Skinner and Mossuto couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

Ballots have already started to be printed, Vasselli said, but each ballot will come with a piece of paper explaining the three candidates are no longer eligible to run. In previous years, candidates have been removed from the ballot in Dolton and Calumet City after ballots started to be printed, he said.

“This happens a lot because the law is slow but printing is fast,” Vasselli said.