Schools
District 25 School Board Election: Residency Issue Could Spoil 1st-Time Candidate's Potential Win
Anisha Ismail Patel, whose kids go to D25 schools, received the most votes in the race Tuesday. But her home is another district.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — First-time candidate Anisha Ismail Patel might have captured the most votes in Tuesday's Arlington Heights School District 25 school board election, but questions over whether she lives in the district might keep her from serving.
Patel received 20.54 percent of the votes Tuesday, the most by any District 25 candidate vying for the board's four open seats, according to unofficial election results.
But the home she's lived in since 2008 in the 500 block of East Lincoln Street is technically outside of the district, even though her three children attend schools in the system, according to the Chicago Tribune. In fact, the boundaries indicate Patel actually lives in Community Consolidated School District 59, the report added.
Find out what's happening in Arlington Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Patel's house is one of three in that area that District 25 officials are looking at because of a discrepancy in boundaries, the report stated. Even though the residencies should be part of the district, the actual boundary lines say otherwise, the report added.
Because no objections were filed with the Cook County Clerk's Office by the December 2016 deadline, Patel, 43, remained on the Election Day ballot, the report stated. Now the former district employee's future as a board member could be up to the school system or the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, the report added.
Find out what's happening in Arlington Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Here's a look at the unofficial election results, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office. Election officials have up to three weeks to certify results. Candidates with the highest vote totals in bold:
Four-Year District 25 Board Seats
All 43 precincts reporting; 4,657 ballots cast
- Erin Johannesen: 17.47% (2,712)
- Joseph P. Selbka: 7.94% (1,233)
- Christopher J. Salituro: 9.33% (1,448)
- Richard Olejniczak: 15.03% (2,333)
- David Page: 15.77% (2,448)
- Denise Glasgow: 13.93% (2,162)
- Anisha Ismail Patel: 20.54% (3,188)
image via Patch archives
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