Milovich-Walters Beats McCarthy To Become Next Palos Park Mayor

PALOS PARK, IL — The fat lady has left the building. Provisional and vote-by-mail ballots cast in Palos Park’s contentious mayoral race were counted last week at the Cook County Clerk’s office, putting Nicole Milovich-Walters over opponent Ronette McCarthy, 854 to 720. Election results have not yet been certified.

“The mail-in [ballots] tickle off by the end of the first week,” election attorney Burt Odelson said. “The mail-ins coming now are postmarked after April 4.”

The election centered around Wu House’s parking expansion plan at 123rd Street and LaGrange Road, on the site of the former Hackney’s, The plan included the removal of trees on the restaurant’s property. The village council approved the restaurant owner’s expansion plan, after rejecting the first two. Wu’s House did not need a zoning variance, according to elected officials.

Mayor John Mahoney announced that he would not be seeking a fifth term last fall. Milovich-Walters ran with Palos Park First slate and was the only village council member to face opposition in the consolidated election. She has served on the village council for the past 16 years.

Of Palos Park’s 3,877 registered voters, 1,579 cast ballots. Milovich–Walters captured 54.26 percent of the votes. McCarthy garnered 45.74 percent, running an aggressive campaign and motivating 720 residents to vote against the old guard.

The counting of write-in votes begins Thursday, for candidates who registered with the Cook County Clerk to run in uncontested or races with no candidates on the ballot. Write-in candidates are poised to win municipal seats in Westchester and Willow Springs.

Consolidated election results will be certified on April 25. Most boards – municipal, school, library, park – will swear in re-elected and newly elected board members the first regular meeting in May.