Top Four Slate Projected Winners In LHS Board Of Ed Race: RESULTS

LEMONT, IL — With 100 percent of precincts reporting in Cook County, and 98.6 percent of Election Day ballots tabulated in DuPage County, the Top Four slate is the projected winner for Lemont High School Board of Education race, according to unofficial results.

The slate's candidates include incumbents Renee Koehler, Pamela Driscoll, Gary Gray and Beverly Marzec.

Patch will update unofficial vote totals as they are posted on the Cook County and DuPage County Clerk's websites. Election night results are unofficial until results are certified later this month. Candidates are:

• Renee Koehler - 1,942 votes
• Pamela Driscoll - 2,009 votes
• Gary Gray - 1,873 votes
• Beverly Markiewicz Marzec - 1,941 votes
• Edward McManus - 1,408 votes
• Noal Staubus - 1,241 votes
• Lisa Buczyna - 1,391 votes
• Jody Benson - 1,361 votes

Driscoll, Gray, Koehler and Marzec are incumbents, ran as the Top Four slate.

Driscoll currently serves as the Board's vice president, and has served since 2003, according to the District Website. Gray first served on the board from 1993 to 2003, and rejoined in 2013. Koehler joined the board in 2015, and Marzec has served on the board since 1991.

"Averaging 20 years of service to the Lemont High School community as board members, we are committed to addressing the complex issues that affect our district. Our combined experience provides historical context and strength in decision-making, which are key factors in our overall success," the slate said in a Letter to the Editor.

McManus, Staubus, Benson and Buczyna ran as the Lemont Four, or the Final Four slate.

The Lemont Four, or the Final Four Slate, was endorsed by Awake Illinois, a nonprofit conservative group that warns parents about the indoctrination and grooming of children. In its endorsement, Awake Illinois cited dropping test scores in the high school.

Awake is known for opposing all-ages drag shows at the Downers Grove Public Library. The group's website says, "Be the barrier between your child and anyone or any agenda to indoctrinate/groom/data mine your children."

Lemont High School serves the Village of Lemont, and also portions of Darien, Downers Grove and Woodridge, according to the District website.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Election results will remain unofficial until later this month, when the county clerk's offices finish counting mail-in and provisional ballots.