Veremis, Nardini top opponents; Irby may upset long-sitting Mulliner
By Dee Longfellow
By about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, Election night was virtually over in Elmhurst, with most races seemingly decided within a few hours of the polls closing.
Mayor Scott Levin and former Mayor Steve Morley were enjoying a celebration with past and present City aldermen at Elmhurst Brewing Company, while the District 205 School Board gathered at Fitz’s Pub just across the street.
Voter turnout was reported as 19.37% at press time. Early Voting Ballots as of Tuesday evening at 11:40 p.m. totaled 21,890. Vote-By-Mail Ballots received so far as 35,548, out of 80,380 mail ballots requested. All Vote-By-Mail ballots were required to be postmarked on April 4 and must be received by the Election Commission by Tuesday, April 18. After those votes are tabulated, the Election Commission will be able to do a complete and final count of the vote to make the results official. Until the election is certified, there could be changes in the number of votes up until that time and the outcome could change in tight races.
Alderman Jennifer Veremis held her seat in the 1st Ward with 854 votes, beating challenger Engy Sutherland with 468 votes, by a 2-1 margin. Rhian Carl Fazzini who is a political science student at College of DuPage, and indicated he will receive college credit for running for alderman, garnered just 38 votes.
Guido Nardini leaves little doubt that he will be sworn-in for the Aldermanic seat in the 6th Ward with 975 votes to Laura A. Vevers’ 519.
The 2nd Ward is an example of a races that is too close to call at press time. Karen Sienko had 626 votes and Jacob Meding had received 610, just 16 votes apart.
Likewise, in the 7th Ward, incumbent Mark A. Mulliner had 670 votes to Rex Irby’s 707, but again, a margin of just 37 votes.
District 205 School Board
The School Board race was at the top of everyone’s mind with nine candidates vying for just four seats. Some of the candidates on the ballot were associated with a group known as EPIC, or Elmhurst Parents for Integrity in Curriculum, who had been highly-critical of the current administration, calling people out during Board meetings.
Winners in the School Board race and their vote tabulations include Kelly Henry (6,033), Kelly Asseff (5,912), Beth Hosler (5,466) and Courtenae Trautmann (5,380). Other candidates were Tom Chavez (3,243), Linda T. Nudera (3,187), Lan Li (2,886), Jammie Esker Schaer (2,195) and Ben Zulauf (1,171).
Elmhurst Park Board
The Elmhurst Park Board had three candidates running for two seats on its Board of Commissioners. Former Alderman Bob Dunn (3,310) was unsuccessful in his attempt to gain one of those seats; instead, the race was won by Susan M. Smentek (5,205) and Tim Sheehan (4,754).
NOTE: All the tabulations in all races are still unofficial at this time. Updates to this story will be provided when information is made available.
