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Bury ousts Heilmann for Oak Lawn mayor

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:13:50 -0500

Entering the lounge at Stony Creek Golf Course at 8:55 p.m. Tuesday to the strains of Queen’s “We are the Champions,” Sandra Bury held her hands high. Moments earlier, she learned that she had defeated incumbent Dave Heilmann to become the first female mayor of Oak Lawn. “They said I was crazy when I took this on, but I love the people of Oak Lawn and this affirms that love,” she said as one supporter after another hugged her. “The people of Oak Lawn have spoken. It’s time to do the people’s work again, to put Oak Lawn first. I’m …

Election roundup: Crestwood calls on Presta

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:22:55 -0500

Crestwood voters picked as their new mayor a longtime ally of the family who led the town for the past 40 years, according to early vote totals. “I’m going to be my own man,” Trustee Louis Presta said Tuesday night. “I have a whole new slate and they’ll be running the show. We will all be moving together and we’ll move the town forward.” With nine of 10 precincts reporting, Presta led the mayoral candidates with 44 percent of the vote, while Trustee John Toscas had 37 percent, and local pizzeria owner Dino Pavoni 19 percent. Toscas blamed the loss …

Ninth term for Zabrocki in Tinley Park

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:14:32 -0500

Longtime Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki said his election Tuesday to a ninth term was a “validation” of the work done by the current village board and a repudiation of “fiction” spread by his opponent. With nearly all precincts reporting, Zabrocki claimed 70 percent of the vote compared with 30 percent for challenger Steve Eberhardt. “Fact won out over fiction,” Zabrocki told a room full of supporters. “That made a difference for all of us.” Winning re-election with Zabrocki on the Team Tinley slate were incumbent trustees T.J. Grady, Brian Maher and Dave Seaman along with village Clerk Patrick Rea, …

Kadner: What if neighbors knew you didn’t vote?

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:23:26 -0500

Voter turnout historically is low in local elections. It was less than 20 percent in suburban Cook County in Tuesday’s election. But would it be right to boost turnout by threatening to “out” non-voters? Do people respond to the possibility of being publicly shamed? In 2006, three political science professors (two from Yale University and one from University of Northern Iowa) conducted a scientific study to find out. As part of that study, a letter was sent to registered voters in Michigan that read, “What if your neighbor knew how you voted?” “Why do so many people fail to vote?” …

Kelly steamrolls in 2nd District; vows to ‘take on NRA’

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:49:00 -0500

Democrat Robin Kelly breezed to victory Tuesday night, officially setting the stage for a new chapter in the scandal-ridden 2nd Congressional District that was represented for nearly two decades by the disgraced Jesse Jackson Jr. Kelly, 56, of Matteson, easily won over a weak Republican opponent and four other candidates in the heavily Democratic district that stretches from Chicago’s South Side through Will County to Kankakee County. She immediately vowed to continue the fight for gun control — an issue that helped catapult her to victory in the Feb. 26 special primary election that was the key election. The outcome …

Voters split on D122 incumbents

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:49:13 -0500

Pat Martino and Sue Smith apparently managed to keep their New Lenox District 122 school board seats Tuesday in a crowded race that had eight candidates vying for four, four-year seats. However, incumbents William Pender and Deborah M. Kedzior may not return. Kathy Miller will return to the board being elected to a two-year seat with an unofficial 1,520 votes. Write-in candidates scored 830 votes. With all precincts reporting in the four-year contest, Martino drew an unofficial 1,910 votes with Smith getting 1,342 votes. Vote totals for the remaining two seats are close with Philip E. Adair at 1,154 unofficial …

Southland voters take to the polls

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:12:28 -0500

Voter turnout was looking as gray as Tuesday’s morning skies. But, like the rain, that was expected. Without the media splash of a presidential election, local contests typically draw fewer voters, especially in areas where there are uncontested races, said Cook County Clerk David Orr. Orr spent much of the morning visiting south suburban precincts. “More of the contested races are in the south suburbs this time,” he said, having stopped at precincts in South Holland, Country Club Hills and Blue Island. He was leaving Robbins and heading for Oak Lawn when we caught up with him. Other than an …

Early voting up, but light turnout expected Tuesday

Fri, 10 May 2013 06:23:29 -0500

As voters head to the polls Tuesday, results from early voting might provide clues about which races will draw the most interest. Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cook County Clerk David Orr said they tend to be less crowded between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. To find your voting site, visit www.cookcountyclerk.com or www.thewillcountyclerk.com. The number of early ballots cast in some Southland towns was up sharply, with robust rises being reported in Oak Lawn, Matteson and South Holland. According to Orr’s office, 40,693 early votes were cast, up 52.5 percent from the last …

Will County authorities looking into Frankfort Township election mailing

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:24:01 -0500

Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Vootz has asked the Will County state’s attorney to investigate an election mailing that was apparently distributed only to some Frankfort Township residents. In bold print stating, “What if your neighbors knew whether you voted,”the mailing, purports to be from an organization calling itself Citizens for Effective Local Government. It warns that the group it intends to publicize who does and does not vote in Tuesday’s consolidated election on a website and through future mailings. It was unclear who runs the organization. The mailing did not include a return address or phone number for the …

Kadner: Letter threatens to ‘out’ non-voters

Fri, 10 May 2013 06:29:21 -0500

A letter threatening to publish the names of people who don’t vote in Tuesday’s local elections was mailed to residents of Frankfort Township over the weekend. “What if your neighbors knew whether you voted?” reads the ominous opening sentence. “Why do so many people fail to vote? We’ve been talking about the problem for years, but it only seems to get worse. “This year we’re taking a new approach. We’re sending this mailing to you and your neighbors to publicize who does and does not vote.” The letter includes the person’s voting history (i.e., “vote” in November 2008; “no vote” …

Mayoral contests highlight local elections

Thu, 09 May 2013 06:14:27 -0500

They don’t draw the spotlight of a presidential election, but the outcomes of municipal elections such as Tuesday’s have a much greater impact on the day-to-day lives of Southland residents, officials say. “You are electing local officials who are spending your tax dollars,” Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots said Friday. “You can actually call and talk to these people.” Tax rates, improvements and services as basic as plowing snow could be impacted by the results after votes are cast. Some Southland towns have hotly contested mayoral races, with challengers out to replace incumbents — some of whom have been …

Father, daughter seeking trustee seats

Wed, 08 May 2013 06:44:51 -0500

They may not be the Madigans family — nor do they aspire to be, thank you very much. But just as Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan and his Attorney General daughter Lisa Madigan rule the roost in Springfield, Kevin Clancy and his daughter Colleen Hassell hope to leave their mark in Will County. The two Will County Democrats are launching their political careers by running for trustee seats in their respective townships — Clancy in Plainfield Township and Hassell in Frankfort Township. Each currently serves as a precinct committeeman. Clancy, 59, is one of five candidates — the …

Trustee race is key in Mokena

Mon, 06 May 2013 06:11:53 -0500

With Mokena Mayor Joe Werner having withdrawn months ago from Tuesday’s election, leaving the mayoral race uncontested, the focus has been on the races for village trustee.

Oak Lawn mayoral race features two different visions

Sun, 05 May 2013 14:57:49 -0500

Two very different visions for the future of Oak Lawn were presented Tuesday night at a mayoral debate between incumbent Dave Heilmann and his challenger, Sandra Bury. The candidates participated in a one-hour debate at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School. About 400 people attended the forum, which was moderated by the League of Women Voters of the Palos-Orland Area. Heilmann, who is seeking a third term, promoted the village’s future, including retail development and enhancements to public safety. “You have to make Oak Lawn a destination,” Heilmann said. “Don’t fight about it, just get the job done.” He added that fighting …

Kadner: Oak Lawn debate lacks spark but offers insight

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:05:54 -0500

Sandra Bury promised “fireworks” before Tuesday night’s debate with Oak Lawn Mayor David Heilmann, but the fact is the much-anticipated confrontation between bitter political foes lacked spark. More than 400 people filled the cafetorium at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School to hear the two mayoral candidates debate just a week before the April 9 municipal election. Heilmann promised to move the village forward if voters would only oust the uncooperative band of back-biting trustees who have opposed him at every turn, He only vaguely mentioned that those nasty folks were all his running mates when they campaigned as the United Party …

Eight candidates vying for a spot on Lockport’s District 205 board

Wed, 08 May 2013 06:19:14 -0500

Eight candidates are seeking four seats on the Lockport Township High School District 205 board of education in the April 9 election. Two current board members are not in the running — Ron Svara and Mike Petty — while two other incumbents are on the ballot, John Lukasik and Lou Ann Johnson. Also running are Lisa Bickus, Kurt Heinz, Edward Kerfin, Ann Lopez-Caneva, Jeff Przybyl and Frank Voscholler III. Speaking at a recent forum, Lukasik and Johnson both said that during their last term on the board they relieved the overcrowding, reinstated normal school hours and developed a school improvement …