Bonnie Alicea thanks the residents!

from Bonnie Alicea

I want to personally thank the residents for signing my nomination for Trustee sheets.  I have gathered over 600 signatures and have formally submitted my petitions to the Village for processing. 

Have a happy holiday season and a joyous new year!

Question of the week:
There are some people wanting to know where you live for personal reasons.  There are also people that want to know where you live for residency requirement reasons.  I would like to know about the residency requirements to run for an office issue.

Thank you for being polite when referencing the issue of residency.  It is true that some people would like to have my address just for "stalking" reasons, and I have addressed this issue with the authorities already.  Therefore, I will not post my address on a blog or media site.

In regards to the residency issue, however, the public has the right to ask questions and receive valid answers.  According to the law: 

65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(a), that clearly states, "A person is not eligible for an elective municipal office unless that person is a qualified elector of the municipality and has resided in the municipality at least one year next preceding the election or appointment."

Election law defines “residence” as “that place where a person maintains a fixed, permanent and principal residence and to which he, wherever temporarily located, always intends to return”. 

The dates for this law is applicable from April 2010 to April 2011.

As many residents know, I owned a primary residency home in Bolingbrook until June 2010 and before the sale I relocated to another Bolingbrook home.  Although work and other issues have caused me to travel, I have always intended to, and did return to, Bolingbrook before this election time frame.  I have been a resident for over 30 of my 35 years. 

Last year I spent some time in Florida.  However, I returned before the April cut off time frame and have made my presence known in Bolingbrook. 

"Where a person leaves his residence and goes to another place, even if it be another state, with an intention to return to his former abode, or with only a conditiona­l intention of acquiring a new residence, he does not lose his former residence so long as his intention remains conditiona­l." Pope v. Board of Election Commission­ers, 370 Ill. 196, 201, 18 N.E.2d 214, 216 (1938).

Since my registration, drivers License, and voters rights are all local to Bolingbrook from the time frame of April 2010 to current, my validation credentials are clear and I am able to run for an elected office.

Thank you for the concern and we will see you at the polls!
Sincerely,
Bonnie Alicea