By DAVID HEITZ msleditorial@shawmedia.com
Gina Cunningham-Picek: 42.1 percent (1,395 votes) Greg Abbott: 27.85 percent (922) Mike Krucek: 26.58 percent (881) Ferenc Vandor: 3.47 percent (151)
Source: DuPage County Clerk
By the numbers 3,354: Ballots cast in Woodridge April 9 19,928: Registered voters in Woodridge 16.8: Percentage turnout est honors of my life, and I am very proud to serve Woodridge and be the next mayor.” Cunningham-Picek said she and the new board are expected to be inaugurated the first week in May. “I believe in working together with everyone, and as long as we work together, it will work out,” she said. Abbott, who ran a campaign on holding the line on taxes, said he worked hard
Bill Ackerman – backerman@shawmedia.com
Gina Cunningham-Picek and her husband Jim Picek react as election results are announced at Suparossa in her run for mayor of Woodridge on April 9. on the campaign, but it just didn’t go his way. He still has two years remaining on his term as a Woodridge village trustee, and plans on fulfilling that term. Krucek congratulated Cunningham-Picek, and said he
will be there to assist her in any way he can in her new role as mayor. “Now that this is over, we can all go back to being friends and neighbors again,” Krucek said. Vandor could not be
Race for board seat unsettled By DAVID HEITZ msleditorial@shawmedia.com WOODRIDGE – The race for Woodridge village trustee was tight April 9, as six candidates competed for three seats, with one of the incumbents falling short. Incumbent Pamela Beavers locked in on a seat as the top vote-getter with 1,633 votes. Chal- Pamela lenger Tim Goodwin Beavers also secured a trustee seat with 1,628 votes. But the third spot was separated by just 37 votes. Challenger Susan A. Burtnette leads incumbent Joseph Kagann with 1,424 votes to his 1,388 votes.
Joseph L. Schager and Louis Wardin rounded out the vote-getters with 1,254 and 609 votes, respectively. Absentee ballots, when tallied, could affect totals, leaving the third seat up in the air. Kagann said he will wait seven business days until those absentee ballots are counted before making any decision on asking for a recount. Tim “If those ballots Goodwin come in favor of me, and Susan’s lead has dipped to under 10 votes, then I would consider asking for a recount,” Kagann said. “Until then, I can’t make any decisions.” A spokesperson from the DuP-
age County Election Commission said any absentee ballots obtained before April 8 have already been counted, and are included in the unofficial totals. Absentee ballots postmarked before April 9 but had not been received by April 9 are eligible to be counted within 14 days of the election, and will be added to vote totals, according to the election commission. Kagann has served on the board for 10 years, and his father, Joel Kagann, who passed away earlier this year, was a former mayor of Woodridge. He said his candidacy was hurt by the “block vote” since Cunningham-Picek ran on a slate with the three trustee candidates who are the top vote-getters.
reached for comment. He was a big supporter of term limits for elected officials and financial accountability. All results are considered unofficial until they are verified by the county clerk and absentee ballots are tallied.
Turnout on par with past elections By ALEX SOULIER asoulier@shawmedia.com DUPAGE COUNTY – DuPage County voting stations reported a 17.10 percent voter turnout for local elections April 9. The turnout is in line with numbers from past consolidated elections, according to DuPage County Election Commission Executive Director Robert Saar. “These figures pretty much mirror the previous consolidated elections,” Saar said. Saar thought that while it was possible voter turnout could spike as high as 23.5 percent, such lofty numbers were “very unlikely.” He also said that a majority of voters were residents in their 40s, 50s and 60s. DuPage County has 568,194 registered voters.
WRR
WOODRIDGE – For the first time in more than 30 years, residents in Woodridge have a new mayor, and her name is Gina Cunningham-Picek. Cunningham-Picek beat out three other candidates in the April 9 consolidated election, earning the vote to replace Mayor Bill Murphy, who is retiring after serving as mayor since 1981. Murphy had endorsed Cunningham-Picek as his successor in the weeks leading up to the election. According to unofficial results from DuPage and Will counties Cunningham-Picek had 1,395 votes, Greg Abbott had 922 votes, Mike Krucek had 881 votes and Ferenc Vandor garnered 151 votes. Cunningham-Picek has served on the village board since 1999, and said she is ready to begin serving the village as mayor. “I am so thankful to the residents for their vote of confidence,” Cunningham-Picek said. “This is one of the great-
The results
WSD • Wednesday, April 17, 2013 • mysuburbanlife.com • Reporter | Progress
Longtime Woodridge trustee elected successor of Bill Murphy
NEWS |
New Woodridge mayor: ‘greatest honor’
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