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March 28, 2022

The McHenry County Electoral Board met on March 28 to discuss the objection petition filed against McHenry County Sheriff candidate Tony Colatorti.
Michelle Moreno
The McHenry County Electoral Board met on March 28 to discuss the objection petition filed against McHenry County Sheriff candidate Tony Colatorti.

News • March 28, 2022

Motion filed to disqualify McHenry County Electoral Board members following Colatorti hearing

By

MCHENRY COUNTY—On March 28, members of the McHenry County Electoral Board convened at the McHenry County Administration Building in Woodstock to discuss the “Verified Objectors’ Petition” filed by McHenry residents William Brogan and Joel Brumlik.

The petition document states that McHenry County Sheriff candidate Antonio “Tony” Colatorti “is not qualified or eligible to be elected to the office of McHenry County Sheriff because he does not have a certificate attesting to his successful completion of the Minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement Officers Training Course,” as required by the Illinois Counties Code (55 ILCS 5/3-6001.5).

Before any discussion on the petition could begin, Dan Bolin, one of the attorneys representing Brogan and Brumlik, entered a motion to have McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio and McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally disqualified from serving on the Electoral Board.

Bolin alleged that both Tirio and Kenneally have openly supported Colatorti’s campaign and “have received campaign contributions from the candidate (Colatorti),” which according to Bolin, is a violation of Chapter 10 Article 9 of the Illinois Election Code.

After a brief break from the hearing, Troy Owens, one of Colatorti’s attorneys, agreed on behalf of Colatorti, to submit a joint motion application alongside Bolin.

Per the terms of the joint motion, Owens stated that he was seeking to remove Circuit Court Clerk Manager Debra Schmitt and the McHenry County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office in its entirety, from serving on the Electoral Board.

For some background, McHenry County Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Keefe is currently endorsing Colatorti’s opponent, Robb Tadelman.

Following the introduction of the joint motion for disqualification of the Electoral Board, Owens explained he was prepared to file a separate motion to dismiss the petition challenging Colatorti’s sheriff candidacy.

Lisle Stalter, the authorized Electoral Board stand-in for Kenneally, asked the attorneys from both parties for an expedited briefing schedule regarding the different motions that were just filed on March 28, because ballot certifications for candidates are due on April 21.

Bolin responded that he can’t agree to any briefing schedule set by the current board members because the current board is “not lawfully constituted.”

In addition, Bolin told the board members that he needed time to investigate the new documentation that was included in Owen’s motion to dismiss because there were documents that Bolin had not seen before.

Bolin then proceeded to submit a motion for discovery, requesting the board to turn over any additional documentation they have to allow him and his team to properly respond to Owen’s motion to dismiss the petition against Colatorti.

“You (Owens) have a motion to strike the objection. You (Bolin) have a motion for discovery. Everybody wants subpoenas. If we’re not reconvening, I think, earlier than Friday and you’re (Bolin) also filing an objection for disqualification [of the Electoral Board] as well if we’re not reconvening by Wednesday or Thursday, we’re not going to have time for all of the stuff that both parties want to take [care of] and have a determination by April 21,” said Stalter at the hearing.

All parties eventually agreed to reconvene on Friday, April 1 at 10 a.m. to continue discussions on the new motions filed on March 28, and the fate of the petition against Colatorti.

“Colatorti’s attorneys indicated that they want to file a motion to dismiss, and we want to file a motion for discovery, but nothing can really occur right now until we have a properly-constituted electoral board,” said Keri-Lyn Krafthefer, the other attorney representing Brogan and Brumlik. “Colatorti’s attorneys asked for time to respond to our motion, then we will respond and they will reply, and the board will make a decision on Friday on that motion.”