Incumbents Win Buffalo Grove Village Board Seats

Buffalo Grove IL

06 April, 2021

7:00 PM

Description

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — Four-year seats on a village board or city council are highly coveted in local political circles. In Buffalo Grove, five candidates were vying for three of these seats Tuesday in a race involving three incumbents and two challengers. Incumbents Joanne Johnson, Lester A. Ottenheiimer, III and Andrew Stein are the projected winners, according to the Lake County Clerk's Office. They were able to hold off challenges from Mike Terson and Gowri Magati. Stein was the top vote-getter with 24.98 percent of the vote (1,228 votes). (Lake County Clerk's Office) Polls officially closed at 7 p.m. All results are unofficial and do not include early, vote-by mail tallies and provisional ballot counts, according to the Lake County Clerk's Office. There were nearly twice as many mail-in ballots cast this election compared to the 2019 consolidated election, Chief Deputy County Clerk Todd Govani in Lake County told Patch Tuesday. Return to Patch for results as they come in. Subscribe to free News Alerts for election results. Election officials said that more than 10,000 requests were made in March for vote-by-mail ballots, an indicator of expected good voter turnout, according to Lake County Clerk Robin O'Connor. Joanne Johnson, 60, has been a trustee for the past six years and has worked in non-profit public relations and marketing communications for 20. "The greatest long-term issue facing Buffalo Grove is our need to maximize services while minimizing the tax impact on our residents. This is made more difficult by uncertain state funding, including failed pension reforms," Johnson said. "The State continues to pile on unfunded mandates, while reducing the revenue that is constitutionally due to the village. We are being fiscally squeezed by the State of Illinois." Lester A. Ottenheiimer, III, 66, has been an attorney for 40 years. "During my tenure as trustee, the Village has maintained a balanced budget and has consistently maintained adequate reserves, which has allowed the Village to continue to operate as normal as possible — even during the pandemic It has also maintained an AAA Bond rating," Ottenheiimer said. "As a result, there will be not be any reduction in core services such as fire, police, garbage, snow removal and the like." Andrew Stein, 61, was first elected as a trustee in 2011. "As Trustees, we are presented with a lot of information. The critical difference between me and the others is how I process that information. As a Compliance Principal, I do most of my investigation before visiting with a representative," Stein said. "As a Trustee, I read and ask questions in advance of meetings. I may ask a lot of questions leading up to the discussion. This helps me to better understand why we may be doing what we are doing." Gowri Magati is a self-employed informational technology consultant. Mike Terson, 50, is the superintendent of communications and marketing at the Buffalo Grove Park District. BUFFALO PARK DISTRICT BOARD (UNOPPOSED) Incumbents Scott Jacobson (vice president) and Tracy H. Bragg (treasurer) ran unopposed for full four-year terms. Incumbent Stephen Cummins ran unopposed for an unexpired two-year term. TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 214 (OPPOSED) Eight candidates were competing for four seats on the Township High School District 214 Board of Education on Election Day. Buffalo Grove High School is a part of District 214. Incumbents Mark Hineman, Mildred Palmer and Leonard Walker are projected winners in the race and will be joined by Andrea Rauch on the board. It appears Elizabeth Bauer, Richard Menninga, Tony Rosselli and Jackie Ryan came up short. (Cook County Clerk's Office) RELATED Buffalo Grove Voters To Decide On Village, School BoardBuffalo Grove Voter Guide: 2021 Consolidated Elections Stay Patched In! Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Buffalo Grove newsCheck out the Events Calendar for what's going on in Buffalo GroveLike our Crime page on FacebookLike the Buffalo Grove Patch on FacebookPatch Mobile: Get app for iPhone and Android