Harvey mayoral candidate’s name to be withheld from 2027 ballot over unpaid fines to state elections board

Hopefuls looking to ascend to Harvey’s City Council in 2027 filed their petitions on Oct. 26. Anyone looking to object has until Nov. 2 to file those at City Hall. But one mayoral candidate may find themselves off the ballot — objections aside — after they failed to file mandated campaign finance reports to the state elections board.

Former 2nd Ward alderman Marshun Tolbert tossed his hat into the mayoral race. But the Illinois State Board of Elections has repeatedly notified Tolbert that he owes money after accruing $6,080 in fees after failing to complete timely reports about his political committee Citizens to Elect Marshun Tolbert — if he filed them, at all. 

In accordance with state law, election authorities will be forced to withhold his name from the ballot if he doesn’t pay up soon, dubbed ballot forfeiture. All candidates are required to file quarterly reports for their committees once the money raised or spent reaches $5,000. Those reports include contributions, fund balances, names of individual donors, expenses, and even ticket sales from campaign events. 

Penalties follow candidates to any other committees they have or any committee with one or more of the same financial officers. On Oct. 19, two weeks after his campaign announcement and just five days after he established the Tolbert for Harvey committee, he was once again slapped with another ballot forfeiture warning to pay up. His mother Rhonda Powell, who sits on Harvey’s planning and zoning commission, has served as treasurer on both of his committees. 

If there are four or more candidates in a given municipal race, Harvey must hold a primary election. With seven names in the hat for mayor, it’s likely that Harvey is set to hold a Feb. 23, 2027, primary — even if some candidates get the boot from anticipated objection filings. The primary ballot certification date is Dec. 17, 2026. That leaves Tolbert with less than seven weeks to clear his balance.

Fined. Warned. Repeatedly given chances to appeal and pay. No response. After years of delinquency, the state terminated Citizens to Elect Marshun Tolbert in October 2024. See the records here.

A mountain of fines

The fines incurred can vary based on a number of factors, including the days of delinquency, funds included on a report, and type of violation. Fines accrue daily and can scale from $500 to $3,000. A1 violations, for example, are associated with donations of at least $1,000 that have to be reported right away but were not.

Tolbert’s fees snowballed, state records show. His December 2022 quarterly report was due by Jan. 17, 2023. It was four days late, resulting in an $80 fine. 

In that same report — the last submitted on behalf of Citizens to Elect Marshun Tolbert — he noted a $4,000 campaign contribution from the Southland Black Business PAC. However, that raised a red flag during a review performed by ISBE’s Campaign Disclosure Division, emails show. A specialist asked him: “Southland Black Business PAC did not report giving the committee a $4,000 contribution. Do you have a copy of the check?”

In February 2024, he was slapped with a $1,000 fine after failing to report a $1,000 campaign contribution from AFSCME Council 31, a labor union representing Illinois public service workers, including school district employees, social workers, and lawyers.

In March 2024, Tolbert was slapped with a $2,000 fine after he failed to file a quarterly report, altogether, and gobsmacked by a $3,000 fine just four months later for failing to file the following report.

The possible blowback

Tolbert’s ballot forfeiture dilemma could prove damaging to voters early on. It could also cast doubts from donors — especially labor unions with deep financial coffers — who would want to know their endorsements and dollars are managed responsibly. Those investments can make a break a campaign, bolstering volunteer efforts, advertising spending, bankrolling signage and marketing materials — especially in a hotly contested race.

This all comes as Tolbert vies to be mayor of a city three years behind on state-mandated audits. To complete them, Harvey is paying a certified public accountant $100,000 per audit after the Illinois State Comptroller cracked down on the city over delinquency. Tolbert’s faux pax will likely raise concerns about his ability to manage fiscal health.

A one-term alderman from 2019 to 2023, his constituents blasted his leadership as lackluster. He was frequently criticized for not responding to emails or phone calls, sparingly holding legislative committee meetings as its chair, and not having a policy agenda. That all prompted citywide confusion from locals after he announced what was ultimately an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2023. 

Tolbert clinched a $30,000 boost from Illinois’ second-largest public union, the powerful SEIU Illinois Council PAC. It was the single largest contribution to any mayoral candidate that season. Tolbert had previously appeared with union members at a protest at Harvey’s UChicago Ingalls Memorial Hospital pushing for a better contract.

And still, he finished dead last behind now deceased mayor Chris Clark and library board president Anthony McCaskill. Tolbert even failed to appear at a candidate forum hosted by Illinois State Senator Napoleon Harris (D-15).

The 2027 mayoral candidates are Tolbert, McCaskill, Ald. Colby Chapman (2nd), library vice president Angelette Taylor, Nicole Gooden, Terry Brown, and former Harvey building and inspectional services director Lonnie Harrison, Jr. Tolbert is the only one who has been warned of possible ballot forfeiture, state campaign finance records show.

“We cannot build Harvey’s future by looking backward. We have to take what we have learned, bring people together and move forward with purpose,” Tolbert said in a statement leading up to announcing his candidacy early October. “Harvey deserves leadership that listens, leadership that shows up and leadership that understands that progress has to reach every neighborhood.”