Three questions have already been submitted for the March 2018 ballot, knocking a local group’s quest to get resident opinion on video gaming off the next election go round.
Mark Hosty, a former village commissioner who manages Healy’s Westside, has already submitted three questions to the village clerk for March 2018, with one question related to video gaming. Hosty did not immediately respond to a Review inquiry about when he submitted these questions. Jordan Kuehn, president of the Let Forest Park Vote on Video Gaming political action committee, said Hosty submitted the questions with his last set, which were voted on in April 2016.
“Should the village of Forest Park’s share of video gaming revenue be used to fund our police and fire pension funds, resulting in lower property taxes?” reads Hosty’s upcoming electronic gambling question.
Only three questions are allowed on each ballot, according to state law. The Cook County Clerk said Hosty’s questions block Let Forest Park Vote on Video Gaming’s question about the validity of the practice off the ballot. Kuehn said his group’s question will now move to the November ballot, provided there’s room on the ballot and the group’s petitions hold up in court.
Let Forest Park Vote on Video Gaming collected about 3,500 signatures and submitted those petition signatures on Dec. 18, Kuehn said. The group seeks to get a resident vote on the question, “Shall video gaming be prohibited in the village of Forest Park?” It is a binding referendum, which means that if the majority of people disapprove of the practice it would be outlawed in Forest Park.
In a letter to the editor for next week’s Review, Hosty said he’s identified 475 people who signed the citizen petition more than once, and that more than 975 signatures were found to be not registered, not at the address listed, not alive, or not listed in Forest Park.
