Lake County Primary Results: Sales Tax Referendum, County Board

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Lake County voters stopped out to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballot in the primary election. Here is a look at unofficial results, which does not include mail-in or early vote totals, from top area races.

Libertyville Referendum

Early results show voters are in a favor of a new sales tax in Libertyville that is meant to help pay for infrastructure improvements. With all precincts reporting, unofficial results, which don't include mail-in or early voting results, show 58.34 percent of voters chose yes to the following proposition that appeared on their ballots:

“Shall the corporate authorities of the Village of Libertyville, Lake County, Illinois, be authorized to levy a Non-Home Rule Municipal Retailers' Occupation Tax and a Non-Home Rule Municipal Service Occupation Tax each at a rate of 1 percent for expenditures on municipal operations, expenditures on public infrastructure, or property tax relief?"

There were 2,342 “yes” votes and 1,737 “no” votes, according to unofficial results.

The additional revenue is projected to generate approximately $2 million for the village and would take the place of funds lost following the repeal of the Places for Eating tax. The money would be used to offset a nearly $2.5 annual capital improvement deficiency for roads, sidewalks, streetlights, parking lots, parks, facilities, and technology, village officials said.

The local sales tax would not apply to medicines, titled goods, such as cars and trailers, and most groceries. As a non-home rule government, the village is required to get the OK from voters in order to implement this local sales tax.

If approved, an ordinance imposing the tax would be adopted and the sales tax would go into effect on July 1, 2020.

County Races, Open Judge Seat

Four candidates vied for the democratic party's nod for an open judge seat in the Circuit Court of the 19th Judicial Circuit. The winner in November's general election will fill the vacant seat left by Thomas Schippers. Schippers died last fall from complications from pancreatic cancer, according to the Chicago Tribune.

According to unofficial results, Marnie Michelle Slavin had a narrow lead in Tuesday's race with 4,057 votes over Rhonda Kind Bruno, who had 3,945 votes. Danielle M. Pascucci followed with 3,057 votes . A fourth candidate, Donald R. Tyer, had 2,065 votes. The winner of the democratic primary is slated to take on Christopher Morozin, a Republican who lives in Round Lake.

Open seats for the Lake County Circuit Clerk, Coroner and State's Attorney were uncontested in Tuesday's primary. One Republican and one Democrat are currently planning to face off in each race in the general election in November.

With all precincts reporting, the following candidates appeared poised to win county board primaries:

Democratic primary for District 2:

• Diane Hewitt of Zion: 1,768
• Lucy Rios of Waukegan: 1,170

Republican primary for District 4:

• Brent C. Paxton of Zion: 920
• Alanna Whitmore of Winthrop Harbor: 742

Republican primary for District 7:

• Steve Carlson of Gurnee: 838
• Greg Garner of Gurnee: 208

More via the Lake County Clerk's website