District 64 Board of Education Candidate Nomination Filing Begins December 17

Nominating petitions for the April 9, 2013 school board election in Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 may be filed during regular business hours beginning on Monday, December 17 no earlier than 8 a.m. until Monday, December 24 no later than 5:00 p.m. at the Educational Service Center (ESC), 164 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge.  Nominating papers may be filed by the candidate in person, by mail or by an agent; forms are available at the District office.

Four, four-year seats on the seven-member District 64 Board will be filled at the April 9 election.

Candidates’ names will appear on the election ballot in the order in which their nominating papers are received at the District 64 office.  In the event of simultaneous submission, a lottery has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 18 at noon.

Other important dates include:

• The period to file objections to nomination papers is:  December 26, 27, 28 and 31, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and January 2, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the District ESC.
• The final day to file a Withdrawal of Candidacy form for candidates that decide not to run is January 31, 2013, also at the District 64 ESC.

Elections are non-partisan and Board candidates do not indicate a political party affiliation.  To be eligible to serve, a school board member must be, on the date of the election, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old, a registered voter, and a resident of the State of Illinois and District 64 for at least one year immediately preceding the election.

Nominating papers consist of the following:

1. Nominating petitions signed by at least 50 voters residing within District 64.  Petitions must be securely bound together with pages numbered consecutively, and each page must carry the notarized signature of the petition circulator.
2. Statement of candidacy, which includes a request that the candidate’s name be placed on the official ballot, the address of the candidate, the office sought, and a statement that the candidate is qualified for the office and has filed (or will file before the close of the petition filing period) a statement of economic interests as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act.
3. A receipt from the County Clerk showing that the candidate has filed the statement of economic interests as noted above.
4. A loyalty oath, which is optional.  A candidate may choose to file it or not.

The District 64 website offers candidate filing information and resources about Board service at this link: http://www.d64.org/subsite/dist/page/board-education-election-600