Quinlan Hangs On; Challengers Win School Board Seats

Quinlan Elected to Second Term

Oak Lawn Trustee Carol Quinlan won a second term on the village board by 129 votes against challenger Pete Quattrocchi in the fifth district.

Quinlan prevailed despite several by her opponent that cast her as an ineffective trustee unable to bring new business to Cicero Avenue, resolve flooding issues and for supporting a referendum petition to change the village’s form of government that was withdrawn amid claims of .

“I think a message has been sent,” Quinlan said at her victory party Tuesday night at the Goal Post.

“Voters are tired of what’s happening at [the village board] meetings,” she said of among village board members at public meetings.

Quinlan said that she could have “sent out a 10-page letter” refuting the charges Quattrocchi made in his mailers.

“It’s pretty sad,” Quinlan said. “I don’t like how he ran his campaign. I still want to know where his money came from.”

She said that Quattrocchi did not call Tuesday night to concede the race.

“You can never take anything for granted,” Quinlan said, relieved that the election was over. “The last race I won by 29 votes.”

Melnik Trumps Trotto

Jim Melnik, the carpenter, beat attorney Stephen Trotto for a 2-year term on the Oak Lawn Community High School Dist. 229 school board.

Trotto, who currently serves as the D229 board president, filed an against Melnik  for using a to fasten his nominating petitions, which Trotto claimed was in violation of state election laws. The Dist. 229 later electoral board dismissed Trotto’s objection.

Melnik won the race with 1,334 to Trotto’s 1,089 votes. Melnik was too nervous to watch the returns when contacted by Patch Tuesday night.

“I’ve just been waiting for someone to call and tell me if I won or lost,” Melnik said.

Informed that he had won the school board seat, Melnik said he had to put his 4-year-old son to bed and to call back in the morning “so we can talk.”

Melnik's red yard signs prominently featured a paper clip.

Incumbent Joe Amado lost his bid for another four-year term on the D229 school board. Four candidates – all of them newcomers – were running for three board seats in the contested race.

Winners of the D229 board race are Timothy Burke (1,720); Michael D. McCarthy (1,700); and Matthew Egan (1,580). Amado came in fourth with 1,110 votes.

Ridgeland Dist. 122

Challenger Mike Sawicki won a seat on the Ridgeland Dist. 122 school board by eight votes, over incumbent David Lis. The final tally was 789-781, according to unofficial results.

Other incumbents managed to hang on in a year marked by 60 teacher layoffs: Timothy Landingham (875) and N. Jean Werner (818).

Ex-Spartan Gets Bit by Former Bulldog

Linda Flangan-Vahl was celebrating her “close victory” against Ron Pratl in the Community High School Dist. 218 school board race at De Ja Brew Tuesday night, despite two precincts still being out.

Vahl accused Pratl of late in the campaign for using D218 custodians to help circulate his nominating petitions whose union contract is about to expire.

The ex-Oak Lawn Spartan went toe to toe against the former Bulldog for the most of the night. Pratl won his third term on the D218 school board 988-966, according to unofficial results.