Judge dismisses Robbins Park District lawsuit regarding too many candidates certified as winning April election

A Cook County judge Friday dismissed a Robbins Park District lawsuit that sought some resolution to the April election, when three candidates were elected for only two available seats on the park board.

The Park District sought to have one of the three elected candidates, second-place finisher Ryan T. Buckley, disqualified, thereby clearing the way for Angelia Murphy-Watts and Terry Lee to be sworn in.

The district argued Buckley, as a library board member and legislative assistant for the village, has a conflict of interest making him ineligible to be on the park board. The lawsuit also sought to have Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough change the election website that certified all three candidates as winners.

In her 10-page ruling, Judge Araceli R. De La Cruz wrote disqualifying Buckley would be “based on an assumption or speculation that his candidacy is incompatible with the other positions he holds and not based on any reason caused by the County Clerk.”

The official results show Murphy-Watts received 393 votes, Buckley received 349 and Lee received 344. Murphy-Watts and Lee were incumbents, said Buckley. None of the three candidates has taken office since the new terms began in April because of the confusion.

Park District officials did not respond Friday to requests for comment on the ruling or what their next step would be.

Buckley said after Friday’s hearing, he called an attorney who he said confirmed his understanding that, with the case dismissal, he and Murphy-Watts, the top two vote-getters, can now be seated on the board.

Buckley said the board should schedule a special meeting to swear them in so it can address important issues such as youth and senior programming and finances.

“I feel that we’re going to move forward,” Buckley said.

Murphy-Watts said she was pleased the case was dismissed, though she wasn’t clear where that left the board. But she said she’s ready to get to work.

“We’re looking to move forward,” Murphy-Watts said. “I’m ready to get to work. There’s a lot of stuff the park district needs to be done and I want to be a vessel to get it done.”

De La Cruz also rejected the Park District’s request to have Yarbrough’s office change the official results on its website, that show all three candidates were certified as winners.

“Petitioner’s demand from the County Clerk to alter the election results published on their website does not remedy the injury of confusion caused to its constituents because the election has not been contested or declared invalid,” De La Cruz wrote.

During a hearing earlier this month, Park District attorney Michelle Broughton-Fountain and Edward Brener, the assistant state’s attorney representing Yarbrough, each stated the other party was responsible for incorrect instructions on April ballots.

Brener argued for Yarbrough to be dismissed from the case because Park District officials submitted various documents ahead of the election listing three candidates for three open seats.

“The Robbins Park District created this situation by inaccurately stating the number of candidates,” he said.

Broughton-Fountain argued the clerk should remain in the case because the clerk’s office is the keeper of election records.

“If the County Clerk altered the election results as requested the public would only be more confused as to who they voted for since the results would then reflect two candidates even though they had voted for three,” De La Cruz wrote.