Schaumburg library candidate survives challenge

Schaumburg Township District Library candidate Julie Wroblewski Bosshart has survived a challenge to her nominating papers and will be on the April 5 ballot.

Wroblewski Bosshart is the only one of three library board hopefuls whose candidacy survived a challenge by former state Rep. Paul Froehlich.

The objection against Wroblewski Bosshart stemmed from the use of her maiden name — Wroblewski — on her nominating papers while she uses only the name Bosshart on her voter registration.

Wroblewski Bosshart said she overcame the challenge by demonstrating that she uses her maiden name in various contexts for identification.

The daughter of Schaumburg Township Supervisor Mary Wroblewski, Wroblewski Bosshart said she wanted to make it clear to voters that she is the same person some may remember as having grown up in the library district.

“It’s good to know the residents will have a choice in this election,” Wroblewski Bosshart said.

Her attorney, Bill Kelley, said he found the objection discriminatory against women who, if barred from using their maiden names, would lose name recognition in communities where they grew up.

“I feel the challenge was groundless in law,” he added.

But Froehlich said new legislation created specifically to address the issue of judicial candidates adopting Irish surnames to win votes could also apply to this case.

“This one was definitely the more arguable one because it was newer ground,” Froehlich said of his failed objection. “I still feel it was a question worth examining.”

Had the Cook County electoral removed from Wroblewski Bosshart from the ballot, it would have left an uncontested race with incumbents Debby Miller and Nicholas Scipione and former trustee Richard Hetzer as the only candidates for the three available seats.

Froehlich’s other objections succeeded in removing David Benson of Hoffman Estates and Gerald Bromley of Schaumburg from the ballot. Benson was removed from for not having enough valid signatures on his nominating petitions, while Bromley was taken off the ballot for not filing a receipt of his statement of economic interest with the library.

Froehlich’s wife, Marilyn, had served on the library board from 2007 until 2009, when she resigned and was replaced by Scipione.