LAKE COUNTY – Candidates for local government races turned in signatures to qualify for lower filing fees this week and are preparing for final candidacy filings due next month.

Thursday was the deadline for those candidates wanting to submit signatures in-lieu petitions to cover all or part of their filing fees, based on a Lake County Registrar of Voters Office calendar. The filing period for gathering those signatures began Jan. 4.

Races on this year's ballot are sheriff, district attorney, supervisorial seats for Districts 2 and 3, superintendent of schools, assessor-recorder, county clerk-auditor and treasurer-tax collector.

All candidates for those races are now preparing to submit declaration of candidacy and nomination papers, which Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley said are due March 12.

Fridley said each candidate must have a minimum of 20 signatures on their candidacy nomination forms. Those forms are separate from the in-lieu petitions, which reduce the fees candidates have to pay.

Filing fees for the various offices are based on the office holder's salary, Fridley said.

The following is a breakdown of the salary for each office, filing fee (based on 1 percent of the office's annual salary), the number of signatures needed to completely cover the fees and the value of each signature, which varies according to the office:

• Superintendent of schools: entry level salary, $108,365; in-lieu filing fee, $1,083.65; signatures, 3,293; each signature's value, $0.32908.

• Assessor-recorder: salary, $88,007; in-lieu filing fee, $880.07; signatures, 3,293; each signature's value, $0.26726.

• County clerk-auditor: salary, $90,207; in-lieu filing fee, $902.07; signatures, 3,293; each signature's value, $0.27394.

• District attorney: salary, $109,647; in-lieu filing fee, $1,096.47; signatures, 3,293; each signature's value, $0.33297.

• Sheriff-coroner: salary, $106,973; in-lieu filing fee, $1,069.73; signatures, 3,293; each signature's value, $0.32485.

• Treasurer-tax collector: $85,912; in-lieu filing fee, $859.12; signatures, 3,293; each signature's value, $0.26089.

• County supervisor, District 2: salary, $57,690; in-lieu filing fee, $576.90; signatures, 552; each signature's value, $1.04511;

• County supervisors, District 3: salary, $57,690; in-lieu filing fee, $576.90; signatures, 649; each signature's value, $0.88890.

On Friday, Fridley and her staff had a raw count of all the signatures turned in by the candidates on Thursday. She said her office has 10 days to verify all the signatures, but they hope to have that work completed by the middle of next week.

She said if any of the signatures are thrown out in the verification process, the candidates have the opportunity to collect replacement signatures.

The raw, unverified counts of the signatures gathered by the candidates in each race follow.

Superintendent of schools

Wally Holbrook: 1,053

Judy Luchsinger: 356

Assessor-recorder

Doug Wacker (incumbent): 54

County clerk-auditor

Pam Cochrane (incumbent): 90

District attorney

Don Anderson: 249

Jon Hopkins (incumbent): 272

Doug Rhoades: 43

Sheriff-coroner

Jack Baxter: 56

Martin McMarthy: Did not take out in-lieu petition

Rodney Mitchell (incumbent): Did not take out in-lieu petition

Francisco Rivero: 1,182

Treasurer-tax collector

Sandy Kacharos (incumbent): 77

County supervisor, District 2

Jeff Smith (incumbent): 26

Joyce Overton: 176

County supervisor, District 3

Gary Lewis: 37

Denise Rushing (incumbent): 507

Those candidates who didn't submit signatures, such as Mitchell and McCarthy in the sheriff's race, can instead pay the filing fees – which Fridley said Mitchell did on Friday – and then submit nomination papers with at least 20 signatures by the March 12 deadline.

The March 12 date is the big one, said Fridley. Once candidates have their nominating signatures, pay their filings fees and submit their declarations of candidacy by that date, “They're on the ballot.”

On March 22 candidates also will be required to file financial reports for the period from Jan. 1 through March 17, Fridley said.

Some candidates already have made financial reports for the period from July 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2009.

Fridley said those candidates reporting receipt of funds during that period are as follows:

• Wally Holbrook: $690 in monetary contributions, $1,000 loan (from himself); expenditures, $1,110.48.

• Rod Mitchell: $2,399 in monetary contributions, $32.61 in nonmonetary contributions; expenditures, $180.

• Francisco Rivero: $50.22 in monetary contributions, $2,499 loan (from himself); expenditures, $843.31.

• Jeff Smith: $396 in monetary contributions; expenditures, none.

 

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .