Alderman Candidate Suspects 'Political Agendas' After Being Booted from Ballot

You certainly won't see Art Wiggins Jr. on the Chicago Heights election ballot this April, but that doesn't mean he's not running for office.

After being dumped from the ballot, Wiggins is running as a write-in candidate for First Ward alderman against former alderman Robert McCoy and incumbent Willie White. Wiggins was removed not because of lack of petition signatures, but because he mistakenly filled out partisan forms to enter a nonpartisan election. The former business owner said he should not have been removed for that.

"I had 80-plus people who wanted to see me on the ballot," Wiggins said. "I’m a little upset about the election process because if you have people who are registered voters and they want to see someone on the ballot, I think they should make it there."

Wiggins's forms needed to be certified by City Clerk Ethel Taylor and sent to the State for him to remain on the ballot, but Wiggins said someone else made sure that would not happen.

"City Corporate Counsel TJ Somer, for whatever reason, insisted that City Clerk Ethel Taylor—a woman who I highly respect—he insisted that she not certify my information and send it to the State." Wiggins said. "Her fear of being looked at as someone who is negligent in her abilities is why she didn’t send it to the State."

But Somer said he had no personal influence over Wiggins being removed from the ballot.

"There’s no back story," Somer said. "There’s nothing surreptitious. He filed the wrong paperwork, and he was given a letter explaining that in detail."

According to Somer, it was not just the incorrect paperwork that kept Wiggins off the ballot.

"The law requires that when you file your nominating paperwork, you file a statement of economic interest," Somer said. "You have to file that with the Cook County Clerk’s office and they give you a receipt. You then have to attach that receipt to the rest of your paperwork. Art did not do that. Therefore the clerk cannot certify him."

Wiggins questioned the legitimacy of Somer's reasoning for why he shouldn't be on the ballot, claiming that because his candidacy was never actually challenged, Wiggins should've been allowed to remain on the ballot.

"I think because of political agendas and the political agenda TJ Somer has, he tried to find a loophole," Wiggins added. "It may very well be legitimate, what they did. But from everything I’ve discussed with other lawyers, I wasn’t challenged so it should have went to the State."

As for City Clerk Ethel Taylor, she said it all came down to following the rules.

"TJ Somer is simply corporate counsel for the city," Taylor said. "His expertise is used in making decisions so we don’t do anything legally wrong. He acted within the laws of Cook County."

Taylor also denied that Somer had insisted she not certify Wiggins's application.

"As far as influencing me to do anything, of course not," Taylor said. "That would be against the law, and if that had happened, it would be a fightable and winnable case. So if anyone is not fighting that, it’s probably because they know they can’t win."

Wiggins said he will not fight his ballot removal and is happy to run as a write-in

“I think I could have taken it to court,” Wiggins said. “But I feel that going through all that when all I need is 300 votes to win, I can do it better as a write-in.”

The candidate has been campaigning proudly for the position, sporting "Elect Art Wiggins" memorabilia on his vehicle. He will have until the April 5 election to try and rally enough First Ward voters to write his name on the ballot.