Highland Park Election Results: Mayor, City Council Retain Seats

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Voters in Highland Park elected five new school board members in Tuesday's consolidated municipal elections and decided to retain its incumbent mayor and all three members of the City Council that sought re=election. There were no competitive races for the Highwood City Council.

Mayor Nancy Rotering won a third term as mayor, defeating her challenger, small business owner Bob Crimo, by more than a 2-to-1 margin. Rotering, who last year came in fourth in her bid for the Democratic Party primary for the Illinois attorney general nomination, had raised $7,500 since the first of the year and has more than $15,000 on hand, while Crimo did not report any contributions or expenditures, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Rotering said she focuses on how best to serve residents every day and is running for another term to "continue providing effective leadership at City Hall and impactful results for residents and businesses."

"I am a champion for inclusive and accountable government," Rotering said on her website. "My favorite part of the job is working with residents of all ages. Our conversations and partnership are important."

Crimo cited his experience as owner of White Hen in the Ravinia district and more recently at his deli in Braeside. He argued the city's central business district has become more distressed with time.

"We need to take a hard look at Highland Park’s many ordinances, rules, and regulations, and see if we can improve them or change them in order to stimulate new business growth within our downtown business district," Crimo said on his website. "I’m running for Mayor as a person for the people of our community. I have no interest in using the Highland Park Mayorship as a stepping stone for higher office."

Mayor:

• Nancy Rotering, 57, mayor, Highland Park (incumbent)
• Bob Crimo, 54, owner, Bob's Pantry and Deli

According to the Lake County Clerk's Office, on the final day of early voting, 4,575 of 7,249 requested mail ballots had been returned. Of the nearly 12,000 early votes cast, more than 1,500 of them were cast at the Highland Park police station, the most of any of the 16 early voting locations in the county.

APRIL 2, 2019 HIGHLAND PARK CITY COUNCIL, SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION RESULTS:

Unofficial results via the Lake County Clerk

Three City Council incumbents managed to keep their seats. They were challenged by a member of the North Shore School District 112 board, architect Yumi Ross.

Highland Park City Council

• Yumi S. Ross, 56, architect, Ross Architecture
• Michelle L. Holleman, 50, freelance communications consultant (incumbent)
• Anthony E. Blumberg, 60, attorney, Anthony E. Blumberg & Associates, LLC (incumbent)
• Adam Stolberg, 47, president, Advantage Management(incumbent)

As for the Highwood City Council, incumbents Mike Fiore, M. Brad Slavin and Andy Peterson ran unopposed for four-year terms. James S. Levi was unopposed for a two-year term of the seat formerly held by Christoper Lee Grice.

North Shore School District 112

There are four candidates running for three seats on the NSSD112 board. The group includes one incumbent.

• Lisa Hirsh, 44, owner, Medical Financial Services
• Melissa Itkin, 48, graphic designer, photographer
• Adam Kornblatt, 37, lawyer, associate, Gutnicki LLP (incumbent)
• Jeffrey Schrimmer, 35, president, Windy City Novelties, Inc.

Township High School District 113 Board of Education

In District 113, seven candidates competed for four full terms and a half-term created by last year's resignation of David Small, who said it became clear his views were "at odds with the majority of the Board" following the negotiated departure of former Superintendent Chris Dignam. Board members Debra Hymen and Alenda Laube decided against seeking another term on the board. After a year with retired co-interim superintendents at the helm, the District 113 board picked Hinsdale District 86 Superintendent Bruce Law as its next chief administrator. Law, who begins in July, led the district into a $166 referendum rejected in November, the elimination of sports and activities, and another pending referendum this April.

Hoping to stay on the board in charge of Deerfield and Highland Park high schools were the following incumbents:

• Gayle Byck, 50, board certified patient advocate at InTune Health Advocates
• Michelle Culver, 46, a board member of Community The Anti-Drug (seeking the two-year term)
• Ken Fishbain, 63, vice president of business development at Cardio Thoracic & Vascular Surgical Associates want to stay on the board.

They were challenged by:

• Joe Tyler Gerber, 23, an @Properties real estate broker
• Michael Perlman, 55, former franchise owner and adviser
• Daniel Struck, 54, attorney, partner at Culhane Meadows
• Jodi Shapira, 51, former teacher, District 109 board member (seeking the two-year term.)

Voters chose Shapiro over Culver and Byck, Perlman, Struck and Fishbain. The District 113 Caucus endorsed Byck, Fishbain, Struck and Perlman.

The Park District of Highland Park race was not contested this year. Incumbents Cal Bernstein and Barnett Ruttenberg ran unopposed to keep their seats.

Read more from the Highland Park-Highwood League of Women voter's guide