Final Vote Count Gives Democrats Lake County Board For First Time

WAUKEGAN, IL — Democrats picked up additional seats on the Lake County Board and unseated an the sheriff for a historic countywide sweep, according to the results of mail-in and provisional ballots counted and finalized Tuesday by the Lake County Clerk's Office. The final results all but confirm Democratic control of the board for the first time since the county was founded in 1839.

Republicans won only five of the 14 board seats on the Nov. 6 ballot. With the inclusion of the final ballots, Democratic candidates took the lead in races for two Republican-held seats.

Already having won clear victories over incumbent Republicans in races for clerk and treasurer on Election Day, the Democratic candidate for sheriff has taken a narrow lead on the ballot has taken the lead. Incumbent Sheriff Mark Curran, who led by 754 votes on the night of the election, trailed challenger John Idleburg by 138 votes.

Curran will "probably" request a discovery recount, which involves selecting a quarter of the county to review or recount ballots, the News-Sun reported. Any errors discovered can be used to request a full recount from a judge. The sheriff since 2012 said he "might have to move on" but "There must be a plan, because I don't doubt God."

The votes are in and as the saying goes there’s a new sheriff in town," Idleburg said in a social media post. "To the men and women in blue at the [Lake County Sheriff's Office], we begin a new chapter and I look forward to working with you." The former federal agent wished Curran luck on his future endeavors and said the election was a "clear example of every vote counts."

An additional 6,166 votes were added to the unofficial results on the clerk's office website, representing an additional 2.4 percent of the total votes cast in the election. The final tally the total brought turnout to 56.71 percent.

"The entire county board got tainted," Steve Carlson told the Daily Herald. The Gurnee Republican and 16-year county board veteran whose seat was not up for election this year said the GOP ticket had been hampered by public opinion regarding President Donald Trump, Gov. Bruce Rauner and the county board chairman, the on leave and under investigation Aaron Lawlor.

Curran, the longest-serving sheriff in county history, expressed similar views on the night of the election. Speaking to WBBM-AM, he said Republicans should seek to prevent Trump from appearing atop the ticket in 2020.

"There’s no illumination that’s coming from the president that’s going to draw others into him," Curran told WBBM-AM. "Certainly not as our nation becomes browner. So, if he’s the future of our party, put a fork in it."

Earlier: Democrats Close To Controlling Lake County Board For First Time »

Interim county board chair, Carol Calabresa, a Libertyville Republican and the board's senior member, had been ahead two weeks earlier by 74 votes. Ballots counted Tuesday put her 18 votes behind economics professor Jennifer Clark, the challenger in the board's 17th District. Clark described the moment as "surreal," Calabresa said she was "still processing," according to the Daily Herald.

Another incumbent Republican looked more clear where winning on the night of the election in the 10th District. Democrat Jessica Vealitzek expanded her lead over Chuck Bartels from 16 to 82 votes. Bartels, of Mundelein, said he came up just 0.52 percent short and thanked his supporters, while Vealitzek thanked Bartels for his service and his "gracious phone call" Tuesday night.

"I will not always be right, I will not always make you happy, but I can promise you this: I will work hard, I will be available, and I will always keep in mind the people of Lake County," Vealitzek said. "To those whose support I have not yet earned: I hope to gain your trust and respect these next four years."

In another of the county's closest contests, Democrat Mary Edly-Allen defeated Republican Helene Miller Walsh by 323 votes in a race for 51st District state representative race that had been separated by just a single vote on election night. Incumbent Miller Walsh was appointed by party leaders to replace Nick Sauer, who resigned following allegations he "catfished" men on the internet using naked photos of his ex-girlfriend.

Board members are due to be sworn in on Dec. 3. They will vote on a new chair and vice chair, Lake Bluff Democrat Sandy Hart has been suggested as a front-runner for the vote, the Daily Herald reported. The Lake County Forest District Board, consisting of the same 21 members, will also choose the president and vice president.

Read more from Daily Herald, The Lake County News-Sun