A Danville alderman whose election petitions are being challenged says he was merely following directions given him by the Danville Board of Election Commission office.
Jerry Hawker, a candidate for Ward 2 alderman, claims current alderman Rick Strebing’s petitions should be tossed out because they contain a wrong date for the election. Hawker says they should have said Strebing was collecting signatures to get on the February 26th primary election ballot. Instead, the petitions state they are for the April 2nd Consolidated Election.
Strebing told VermilionCountyFirst.com News he called the Danville Board of Election Commission office after he noticed there was no date for the election listed in the information packet he received from that office. After being told what he should put in that space, Strebing says he was told to put April 2nd there.
It will be up to the Danville Board of Election Commissioners to decide whether Strebing’s petitions are valid to keep his name on the ballot. ”I put the date there they told me to do. There’s not much more I can do,” said Strebing on Tuesday.
Hawker’s decision to file a formal complaint challenging the petitions comes after recent questions over whether Hawker is a Danville resident. Hawker claims he has two residences – one of which is in Danville. And Hawker says there are ‘’no ifs, and or buts about it,’’ – he is a Danville resident.
