Mokena loses $25,000 on an election faux pas.
Well, that’s my take.
If the dude was more than 100 feet from the entrance to the polling place, well, then you lose.
A Will County arbitration panel agreed Thursday with Mokena resident Tino Lettieri that the village violated his civil rights on Election Day in November 2008 by not allowing him to pass out election materials in the village hall parking lot.
The panel of three attorneys awarded Lettieri $25,000 in damages.
"All I wanted was a public apology," Lettieri said. "They admitted to no guilt."
Jim Harvey, attorney for the village, said he was "disappointed" in the decision.
"I did not think it merited $25,000," he said. "There was no physical damage."
Each side will have 30 days to decide whether to reject the decision. If either does, the case would go to trial.
Harvey said the village will have to consult with its insurance firm to decide, because insurance would pay the damages.
Kudos to the Will County arbitration panel. This would most likely be upheld in court. This is more than a faux pas. On election day, best to err on the side of caution.