Lone candidate takes Ward 1 seat

Elgin’s Ward 1 seat has been filled without an election after a lone candidate filed for the position.

City Council unanimously accepted the certification of Jessica Jaimes as an unopposed candidate Sept. 1. The council approved an ordinance declaring her elected to the vacant seat, simultaneously canceling the Nov. 3 special election item.

Jaimes was appointed to the Ward 1 position in May following the resignation of Councilwoman Joy Casnovsky, who relocated outside of Elgin. The council later called a special election in July to fill the rest of the unexpired term.

With no other candidates filing, state law allows the city to cancel the election and declare the unopposed candidate elected.

“The authority responsible for preparing the ballot must certify that there is an unopposed candidate,” City Secretary Peyton Standifer said. “I am technically the authority for the city.”

Standifer is also required to post a copy of the Ward 1 election cancellation ordinance at each polling location that would have been used for the contest.

Although the Ward 1 race has been canceled, Elgin voters will still go to the polls Nov. 3 for a separate special election asking whether to allow the sale of all alcoholic beverages, including mixed beverages, within the city.