Niles-Maine Library candidate will remain on ballot after county overrules objection
Niles resident Jason Trunco will remain on the ballot as a candidate for Niles-Maine District Library Board of Trustees in the April 4 election following the Cook County Officers Electoral Board’s overruling of an objection to his candidacy.
In an email to Pioneer Press, Cook County Clerk spokesperson Sally Daly said “none of the matters that were alleged constituted ‘an infamous crime’ under Illinois law which would bar a candidate from the ballot.”
The formal decision from the electoral board, issued Jan. 25, stated that the matters outlined in the objection to Trunco’s candidacy “would be misdemeanors and would not bar the candidate from office, and a decision by the Niles Park District to deny him entry to Park District property would not bar him from elective office, as he was not convicted or charged with any crime.”
The electoral board’s decision also stated, “The Hearing Officer recommended, and the Board concurs that, while the allegations made may constitute significant issues, they do not serve as a statutory bar to candidacy.”
The board originally issued a verbal recommendation to overrule the objection Jan. 18.
The objection, filed on behalf of Niles resident Dale Zilligen, pointed to Trunco’s convictions of assault on women in North Carolina from 2001 and 2002, the fact that the Niles Park District banned him for one year from its parks and facilities, and a portion of Illinois law that states a person convicted of an “infamous crime” is ineligible for public office.
However, Trunco’s convictions are class A1 misdemeanors under North Carolina law. Illinois law only prevents those convicted of felonies from holding public office.
In an emailed statement to Pioneer Press, Trunco said he was glad to remain on the ballot and looked ahead to the rest of the campaign.
“I am happy with the Electoral Board’s final decision today,” he wrote. “While the focus recently has been on my background, and I take full responsibility for those actions, it’s time to move on to the present and future of the library. We need to start focusing on our overworked staff and building back the services that make our library great, especially in the Kids Space and for our seniors. It starts by Reclaiming Our Library on April 4th.”
Zilligen declined to comment when reached by phone.
The attorney who filed the objection to Trunco’s candidacy is Daniel Kelley, who has represented current Library Board Treasurer Joe Makula in several legal skirmishes related to the library.
Makula himself is up for reelection this spring, running for a four-year term on the board.
Trunco is part of the Reclaim Our Library slate of candidates, composed of resident Roberto Botello and current Trustees Umair Qadeer and Becky Keane. However, voters vote for individual candidates, not slates.
Also running are residents Mike Movido, Irina Byalaya, Steve Folga and Steve Yasell.
