(Round Lake, IL) — Lake County Board member Esiah Campos made the following statement on the recent ruling against the candidacy of Lake County Board candidate ‘Juan Beto Ruiz.’

“The Lake County Court ruled that the nominating petitions of Ruiz for the Lake County Board’s Sixteenth District violated the Illinois Election Code and that his name shall be stricken from the primary ballot. This decision was exactly what we anticipated. If you’re running for office, you must be able to follow the straightforward and transparent rules set by the legislature. If you can’t do that, how can you be an effective steward as an elected official? The Court’s ruling that his petitions are invalid raises additional questions about his motives, especially since he used a different name than what is clearly listed on his voter registration and other legal documents. I ran in 2022 because I grew up in this district and personally saw how our community wasn’t being adequately invested in. I am proud to have delivered much-needed improvements and infrastructure that our community deserves. Our campaign will keep going until election day.”