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D ecem b er 12, 2014 • $1 .0 0
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Pair tossed off CL spring ballot Mayoral, City Council candidates disqualified; only incumbents remain By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – A challenger to Mayor Aaron Shepley will not be on the ballot this spring. The Municipal Officers Electoral Board voted unanimously Wednesday to disqualify Sascha Chadwick’s nominating petitions as well as Crystal Lake City Council candidate Jeremy Krick’s, leaving only incumbents on the ballot. Chadwick doesn’t plan on throw-
Ill. faces funds gap without Topinka
ing in the towel, however. Chadwick, a business owner, is considering an appeal or a write-in campaign. This is the accountant and property manager’s first go at elected office, although he served on his homeowners association board. “Don’t write me off; write me in,” he said. “We’re not giving up.” Shepley, who has been Crystal Lake’s mayor since 1999, filed the objection to Chadwick’s papers, arguing they were not consecutively numbered and neatly bound as re-
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quired by Illinois election law. “My opponent’s inability to comprehend or follow very simple – but important – rules or to seek legal guidance before filing his petitions
confirms without a doubt that he is not qualified to serve as mayor,” Shepley said in a text message. “This is my sixth election process, and I have followed the rules each and every time. There is nothing unfair about expecting him to do the same.” Krick’s nominating petitions also were objected to for this reason by the three council members up for election this spring: Cathy Ferguson, Brett Hopkins and Ellen Brady Mueller. Their objection also said that two
of the signators on his petition did not live within the corporate limits of Crystal Lake and could not be counted. Eliminating those two signatures would bring Krick’s count down to 14, less than the 15 required by law. The number of required signatures is calculated by taking 1 percent of the number of ballots cast for mayor in the last election, which was 1,449.
See CANDIDATES, page A9
CHICAGO ROCKFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Airport developing a niche
Limited number of OK’d checks remain The ASSOCIATED PRESS SPRINGFIELD – As state officials contemplate replacing late Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, the clock is running down for those dependent on the checks the office issues. There are a limited number of checks she approved before her death, raising the specter of a possible funding gap for schools and social service agencies should a successor not be chosen quickly. Topinka, a moderate Republican from Riverside, died unexpectedly Wednesday from complications of a stroke, just weeks after the 70-year-old was re-elected to a second term. State Operations in Comptroller the comptroller’s ofJudy Baar fice can continue as Topinka, who scheduled for “sevdied early eral” days, but a Wednesday. new official must be named to the post to Related approve future payments, spokesman Illinois Brad Hahn said. governors Yet, the appointhave filled ment is on hold as 16 vacancies officials seek ansince 1848. swers to the interPAGE B3 pretation of Illinois’ 1970 Constitution, which orders the governor to fill a vacancy “until a successor is elected and qualified.” There are two terms to be filled – the current one that ends in January and a four-year term that ends in 2019. Some have suggested it means outgoing Gov. Pat Quinn may name a replacement to serve both terms, but two experts point out that accompanying language in the state law says, “the appointee shall hold his office during the remainder of the term, and until his successor is elected.” Quinn could fill the post now, and GOP Gov.elect Bruce Rauner would get his own pick on Jan. 12, Inauguration Day. But with the state facing its first politically divided government for the first time in more than a decade, some lawmakers
Photos by Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
The ground crew prepares a plane for a flight to Punta Gorda, Fla., Thursday night at Chicago Rockford International Airport. It’s been 10 years since the federal government designated Chicago Rockford International Airport as an official U.S. port of entry.
It marks 10 years as international port; has plans to grow Voice your opinion
By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com ROCKFORD – The decade since the federal government designated Chicago Rockford International Airport as an official U.S. port of entry has been a good one for the facility, according to its director. That 2004 designation helped the airport find its growing niche for leisure travel, which now sees more than 250,000 people a year taking vacation flights to warm places. It also expanded the airport’s status as a major hub for cargo flights, evidenced in part by the 600,000-square-foot UPS operation on the its grounds. So what’s it meant for the area, and what could it mean in the future for McHenry County? The answer, Executive Director Mike Dunn said, is convenience, commerce and jobs, especially with more than $90 million in improvements over the past two years – including recent renovations to both runways – and a major aircraft mechanics business project in the works. But many county residents
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On the Net n Visit www.flyrfd.com to learn more about Chicago Rockford International Airport. n To view more photos from the airport, visit NWHerald.com.
Nick McKeown of Oregon, Ill., loads passenger luggage onto a plane for a flight to Punta Gorda, Fla., Thursday night at the Rockford airport. mostly know it for a way to get to Cancun, Las Vegas and other sunny destinations with much less hassle than O’Hare or Midway. Apple Vacations flies charter flights out of the airport to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Punta Cana, while service to Las Vegas, Phoenix and several Florida des-
tinations is provided by Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air. “We’ve been working on developing our niche here. One thing we’re clearly good at is leisure vacation travel. I hate to peg us here, but we’re a vacation airport,” Dunn said. “Going through arrival and customs at O’Hare is kind of
a pain in the neck, and it can take hours. Ours is about 32 minutes to get through here.” Dunn said the airport wants to grow its vacation market, and is looking to companies specializing in European charters. Rockford has helped the bottom line of local travel agencies like Crystal Lake Travel, which sells Apple vacations among others, co-owner Sue Swett said. Most of the agency’s clients fly out of O’Hare, and Chicago Rockford is the second-most popular for them.
See AIRPORT, page A9
See TOPINKA, page A9
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