Running for office can be tricky and District 65 candidate Peter Kaplan just found that out the hard way.
Kaplan, 42, thought he had filed all the necessary paperwork to make his initial run for elective office in a campaign to join the D65 School Board. But he found out Wednesday that because he had not given a receipt of a Statement of Economic Interest to District 65, his name has been taken off the ballot.
“This was a total honest mistake,” Kaplan said. “I can only blame myself for this one. I thought I filed everything I needed to file.”
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Kaplan said he had filed the form with the Cook County Clerk’s Office, but the receipt of that never got in the hands of the proper authorities at D65. All of the necessary documents for candidates needed to be turned into Pat Markham, who leads the D65 Communications Office, by the end of business hours Wednesday.
“All of the candidates receive a packet of information spelling out the requirements,” Markham said. She added this is the first time such a chain of events has occurred in the approximately 12 years she has been in this job.
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Other documents that need to be filed include signatures of at least 50 voters who are registered within District 65, a statement of candidacy form as well as the Statement of Economic Interest.
Kaplan, a business risk consultant with Deloitte & Touche, who has lived in Evanston for 15 years, said he has not ruled out a write-in candidacy. He said he will decide on whether he will embark on that path by the end of the weekend, but he acknowledged in a statement to supporters that it would be a major challenge.
“Right now that is feeling like an overwhelmingly daunting task,” he said in a statement to supporters. “Should that happen, of course I would be honored to serve, but that is a huge hill to climb.”
If he decides to pursue a write-in campaign, he said he will use social media and word of mouth to mobilize supporters.
With Kaplan’s absence on the ballot, there are only four candidates remaining for the four slots open in 2013. Incumbent Tracy Quattrocki will seek another term along with newcomers Candance Chow, Claudia Garrison and Sunith Kartha.
Kaplan endorsed Quattrocki and Chow in his statement. He said he did not know the other two candidates.
The elections are scheduled for April 9, 2013
