Pekin mayoral candidacy under review as 2 residents contest nomination petition
Pekin Mayor Pro Tem Becky Cloyd’s eligibility to run for mayor of Pekin is being challenged after two Pekin residents have objected to her nomination petition.
According to information from Pekin City Clerk Sue McMillan, Pekin residents John Burns and Timothy Latronico said that Cloyd’s petition did not include required circulator’s information at the bottom of each page. Additionally, Burns claimed that some of the signatures on the petition came from people who do not reside within Pekin’s corporate city limits.
Cloyd acknowledged that she had not filled out the circulator’s information at the bottom of each page on her petition. She maintains, however, that the omissions were the result of a miscommunication with a clerk who signed off on her paperwork.
“I’ve already spent close to $5,000 on this mayoral campaign, so I clearly have an interest in running,” Cloyd said. “There would be no reason I would not fill out my paperwork properly, unless I was misdirected.”
The city of Pekin Electoral Board will convene Friday afternoon to rule on the objections and determine Cloyd’s eligibility to run for mayor. The board will consist of McMillan, Pekin Mayor Mark Luft, and the longest-serving Pekin City Council member, Lloyd Orrick. Cloyd believes Luft should recuse himself from the hearing because his public support for another mayoral candidate creates a conflict of interest.
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Cloyd added that she has contacted legal counsel and, if the Electoral Board rules against her, she intends to appeal the decision with the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois.
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This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Pekin mayoral hopeful Becky Cloyd faces challenge to candidacy
