Dupage Policy Journal

The local campaign season drew to a close as votes for the 2017 consolidated general election were tallied.

After voters cast their ballots to elect the leaders of Wayne Township, Elgin Township and the villages of Roselle, Hinsdale and Glen Ellyn Village, victors in those races slowly emerged.

This election cycle has mimicked national elections with some candidates accusing others of wrongdoing, and at least one prospective candidate being charged with felony fraud.

Randy Ramey, a candidate for Wayne Township supervisor, made headlines more than once during this election cycle when he publicly called for residents to support Greg Tamurello for highway commissioner while accusing incumbent Martin McManamon of placing signs without asking permission as well as not publicly acknowledging his party affiliation as a Democrat.

Ramey was running unopposed and won the election, but his support wasn't enough to garner a win for Tamurello, who lost his race against Highway Commissioner McManamon. McManamon received 2,838 votes Tamurello's 2,401.

The College of DuPage Board race was hotly contested and resulted in at least one candidate, Rafath Waheed, of being accused of forging petitions to get on the ballot. Waheed was charged with two counts of forgery, two counts of issuing a forged document and four counts of perjury. Waheed wasn’t the only candidate whose petition was challenged, Husna Ghani’s petition packet was also challenged for failing to number the petition pages and neglecting to specify the two-year term. In the end, neither candidate was on the ballot.

Richard Irvin became the first black mayor in Aurora, defeating Richard Guzman by 170 votes. Guzman bested Irvin in DuPage County, leading by 538 votes, but Irvin pulled in more support from the City of Aurora, allowing him to declare victory.

Irvin made headlines when he campaigned for Aurora mayor vowing to seek a partnership between the city of Aurora and area school districts. 

Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 had its own issues to wrestle with as voters favored a $24.2 million referendum proposal for an addition at Hadley Junior High as well as infrastructure projects at four elementary schools. Peter Ladesic, a Glen Ellyn village trustee, said publicly that parents were “intimidated” by the district and afraid to speak out against the referendum.

Cody Holt, a school board member in Elgin’s District U-46, made public his support for a proposed Elgin Math and Science Academy, something that Suzanne Johnson, the school board’s assistant superintendent, expressed concerns about. Holt also voted against a teachers’ contract mainly because it was fiscally unsustainable.

Holt made it clear during his campaign he wanted voters to approve any tax raises and led a group that put an advisory referendum on the ballot, if only in Wayne. The question on the ballot read: “Shall Elgin School District U-46 be required to seek voter approval by referendum prior to increasing its annual property tax levy?” The referendum question sat well with voters with over 90 percent voting in favor of the measure.

Holt's campaign wasn't enough to overcome the popularity of his opposition however, with voters instead choosing Melissa Owens, Veronica Noland and Donna Smith to fill the open positions on the board.

In Roselle, mayoral candidate Andrew Maglio wanted to focus on what was overhead for residents. The candidate told the DuPage Policy Journal that he planned to take a stand against a proposal to erect high-tension power lines at the northern edge of the village, and he also wanted to pressure O’Hare International Airport into reducing the constant sound residents endure. Voters turned out at the polls in favor of Maglio who received a total of 1,613 votes, or 56 percent of the total.

Laura LaPlaca, a village trustee in Hinsdale, told the DuPage Policy Journal she wanted to see term limits and see more diversity in local government. She sought to defeat incumbent Village President Thomas Cauley Jr. who was seeking a third term. Her campaign wasn't successful however and LaPlaca lost to Cauley who received 1,410 votes. LaPlaca received 1,315 votes.

Downers Grove assessor candidate Greg Boltz said the village would benefit from a slightly lowered pension payment if he wins the election. The candidate noted tax increases paid by residents to fund police and fire pensions and said he would forego a pension. Boltz came out ahead in the polls and won by a margin of over 2,000 votes. Laura Hois lost the election.

Also in Downers Grove, the Grade School District 58 Board seats were a topic of discussion as both Susan Helsdon and Greg Harris, former union leaders, campaigned for seats on the board. Some entities, including Americans for Prosperity-Illinois, said having former union leaders negotiate with unions over teacher contracts might not be in the best interest of taxpayers. In the end, Harris was successful in his bid, while Helsdon was not. Also on the board will be Jill Samonte, Darren Hughes and Beth Taylor.

In Wheaton Warrenville Community Unified School District 200, board candidate Harold Lonks spoke out against a referendum proposal seeking to borrow $132.5 million, saying that the true costs to taxpayers were misrepresented to the public. The message didn't sit well with voters however, and Lonks wasn't chosen at the polls. The referendum proposal also was rejected.

Initial vote tallies were reported by the DuPage County clerk, with all precincts reporting. These results are reliable, but final results have to be certified before being entered into permanent record. You can see these results in full at the county clerk's website.