Village President-Elect Mickey Straub Accused of Electioneering Violation

A DuPage County Election Commission representative says the commission received complaints during last Tuesday’s election from multiple people that alleged newly elected Burr Ridge Village President Mickey Straub violated electioneering rules at the Burr Ridge Police Department polling place by standing near a window of the room where voting was taking place.

Between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. on Election Day, the commission received four complaints, one from the site’s technical election judge, about Straub standing just outside the polling room at the police department near a vehicle that had a Straub campaign sign attached, according to DuPage Election Commission Assistant Executive Director Joe Sobecki.

Sobecki said rules dictate that electioneering cannot occur within a 100-foot radius of the door to the polling room, not of the entrance to the building itself. After the fourth complaint, he said, the commission contacted Straub and asked him to move.

“Our last [and only] contact with the candidate was after the 2:30 p.m. call was logged,” Sobecki said in an email. “We had no subsequent complaints on Election Day after our final contact.”

Straub, who said he had already left the police department by the time he received the commission’s call, confirmed he was near the window of the polling room, but said he “was never in violation” of electioneering rules because he stayed “at least 50 feet” beyond the blue “No Electioneering” cones outside the entrance to the police department.

Straub said he was told by a representative of the election commission that he was correct in his interpretation of the rule, which is that someone electioneering can’t be within 100 feet of walking distance from the polling room entrance.

“It’s not as the crow flies; it’s as you walk,” Straub said.

If he was indeed in violation of electioneering rules, Straub said, “that was news to me and I didn’t know.” He said it was not his intention to be seen by voters who were inside the polling room.

The vehicle with the political sign was not Straub's and belonged to a neighbor who came to show support.

Straub called the complaints “petty and disappointing,” and said they were motivated by the same politics he blamed for the disappearance of eight “Mayor Mickey” political signs that Tuesday morning.

“Let’s stop pointing fingers and let’s help this village get to the next level,” Straub said. “This is nothing but sour grapes.”

There are plenty of ways to keep up on Burr Ridge news:

• Sign up for our daily email newsletter

• Like us on Facebook