2019 Election Results: Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove, Lincolnwood

NILES TOWNSHIP, IL — Voters in Lincolnwood, Niles, Morton Grove and Skokie chose new members of the high school district board and a pair of contentious village board elections with full opposition slates. Meanwhile, only one local elementary school district election was being contested during the Tuesday's consolidated municipal elections.

Races for school boards in Evanston/Skokie District 65, Skokie School District 68, Skokie School District 69, Morton Grove School District 70, Niles Elementary School 71, Fairview School District 72 were uncontested. In East Prairie School District 73, only two candidates filed paperwork for three spots, and no one was a write in candidate, leaving a vacancy board members will need to fill. In Skokie School District 73.5, on the other hand, seven candidates contested three seats. Randall Steger is stepping down, and board members Michael Lemke and Baccet Levy both sought second terms.

• Carlotta Arias
• Michael Lemke (incumbent)
• Bushra Amiwala
• Kelli Nelson
• John Wash
• Paul Easton
• Baccet Levy (incumbent)

APRIL 2, 2019 ELECTION RESULTS IN NILES TOWNSHIP RACES:

Niles Township High School District 219

Six candidates ran for four open seats on the high school district's board. President David Ko was the lone incumbent running for re-election and retained his seat. Members Linda Lampert, Brian Novak and Mark Sproat are stepping down once their terms expire.

Rebecca Abraham, Jill Manrique and James Specker won the remaining three seats, according to unofficial results, receiving more than 1,000 votes more than Nashra Mohammed and Robert General.

Skokie

Four candidates contested two open seats on the Skokie Park District Board of Commissioners. One of the two incumbents, Board President Susan Aberman, who ran for re-election, retained a seat. Newcomer Minal Desei edged out Kenneth Mantel and Maureen Yanes by fewer than 500 votes, according to unofficial results.

There were no village board seats on the ballot this year in Skokie, since all incumbents were re-elected without opposition in 2017 and the village operates on a four-year election cycle.

Niles

In Niles, Mayor Andrew Przybolo recruited the Neighbors Party to run against trustees Dean Strzelecki, Denise McCreery with the Voice of Niles Party. They were joined by Craig Nidermaier, as Trustee Joe LoVerde vacated his seat to successfully ran for park district board.

The village board race included claims of forged nominating petitions and allegations the mayor refused to support anyone who refuse to back a referendum to allow him an exception to term limits.

In the end, the mayor's slate was resoundingly defeated. Candidates from the Voice of Niles Party received more than three times as many votes as any of the Neighbors Party candidates — Apostolos "Paul" Drakontaidis, Melic R. Bookstein and Israel "Izzy" Pacheco.

In the Niles Park District, James Hynes won a seat alongside LoVerde. Only 8 votes separated Freida Holowicki and Ashley Brummel in unofficial results, leaving it too close to call.

Morton Grove

A trio of incumbents from the Action Party of Morton Grove — Trustees Rita E. Minx, John C. Thill, Janine Witko — ran unopposed for three seats on the village board. Races for the Morton Grove Park District and the Morton Grove Public Library boards were also uncontested.

Lincolnwood

In Lincolnwood, six candidates from two parties ran for three seats. Three from Mayor Barry Bass' Lifelong for Lincolnwood Party — Trustee Renan Sugarman, Jennifer Costantino and Joseph Spagnoli — were defeated by a trio from the Alliance for Lincolnwood Party consisting of Trustee Jesal Patel, former Trustee Craig Klatzco and Atour Toma Sargon.

The race featured accusations of bullying, road-"stealing", sign removal, a battery conviction, "search and destroy tactics" and other allegations.

The Alliance for Lincolnwood candidates each received at least 500 votes more than any candidate aligned with the mayor, according to unofficial results.

Eight candidates ran for four seats on the Lincolnwood Public Library Board of Trustees, as neither Board President Kendra Beard nor Vice President Christopher Martel sought another term. According to unofficial results, incumbents James E. Berger and Reuben George were defeated., along with Leah Brennan and David Spector. Iris Bass, Sheri Doniger, Mary Silber and Georgia Talaganis were the top vote-getters.