Residency issue resolved, Petrella to fill own Kendall board vacancy

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Updated: March 9, 2012 8:11AM

YORKVILLE — Kendall County Board Chairman John Purcell Tuesday night appointed Suzanne Petrella to fill her own vacancy on the board.

Purcell’s appointment was supported by a 5-3 vote of the board, which means she will serve out the term she was elected to almost four years ago.

Petrella’s position was ruled vacant by the County Board in December when she admitted she moved out of the district for at least four weeks. It came to light when she filed nominating petitions for another board term from an address different than the one she lived at when elected.

Petrella, a District 1 representative, said she had moved from her address of 14 Maple St., Yorkville, and moved to another address on Route 31, which was out of the current District 1, but will be inside the new District 1 voters vote for in March.

She said it confused her at first, but later admitted she had moved into the old District 2. She then moved to a third address, this one inside the current District 1 and the new District 1.

The move did not affect her nominating petitions because she lived at the Route 31 address when she filed, and it is inside the new District 1. Petrella has continued to serve on the board despite her spot being declared vacant, pending Purcell making a new appointment to the position.

Purcell said he considered a lot of information surrounding Petrella’s situation before deciding to appoint her. He said some people advised him to appoint someone else who was running for District 1, but doing that would be “playing favorites” in the upcoming election. He also said he considered appointing someone who is not running in the March promary, but said he did not see the sense in appointing someone brand new for a matter of months.

In effect, Petrella will serve out the term she was elected to, Purcell said.

“I did think about it a lot,” he said.

Board members Robert Davidson, Dan Koukol and John Shaw voted against the appointment of Petrella, with Davidson questioning her current residency, and Koukol saying board members do not have enough information about the situation yet.

“Do we know she lives in the district now?” Davidson said. “Someone should have checked it out.”

Purcell said Petrella presented her current voter registration card, as well as utility bills, to prove her residency. That is the same burden of proof the secretary of state requires for a driver’s license or state ID. Purcell said it convinced both himself and State’s Attorney Eric Weis.

“If the state’s attorney tells me she has established her residency, that’s good enough for me,” said board member Jeff Wehrli.

Wehrli pointed out that nobody has checked”on his residency lately, or Davidson’s or any other board member.

“She was elected by the people of Kendall County. Now she will get a chance to finish her term,” he said.

In addition to board members questioning her residency, one citizen, Joanne Gilbert, of Yorkville, questioned whether Petrella had moved for only four weeks. She presented information showing that Petrella’s house on Maple Street had been listed last summer, and was listed again in September. The photos accompanying the listing showed rooms that were empty of any furniture.

“Is Ms. Petrella’s claim of only being four weeks out of district honest and forthright?” Gilbert asked. “Has the public’s trust been violated?”

Petrella, who could not vote on her appointment but did comment, said she took “great offense” at being “accused of breaking the law.”

“I didn’t break the law,” she said. “I was out of the district just about four weeks, and that can be proven by my voter’s card.””