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Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who has been elected to represent Lancaster's 2nd, 5th and 6th wards?
LANCASTER — Lancaster City Council's 2nd, 5th and 6th wards had candidates on the ballot this May 6 primary election. The unofficial results from the Fairfield County Board of Elections are in. All the candidates are Republicans. 2nd Ward Joe Bizjak won the primary over his two opponents were Talia Barsi and Elliot E. Hall. Bizjak received 196 votes out of 409 votes. Hall had 147 votes and Barsi had 66 votes. Bizjack is the board liaison at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and has represented the 2nd Ward since January 2024. He has highlighted his work with the police department and local ADAMH board to try to increase those services and strengthen the partnerships in the community, and has urged the importance of stable housing in Lancaster. Bizjak thanked everybody who voted for him and placed their confidence in him to serve another term. "I look forward to serving on 2nd Ward and the City of Lancaster well and being a city council member for all the residents of the 2nd ward, not just Republicans, but Democrats and independents, as well," he said. "I look forward to working with everybody to keep moving Lancaster forward." 5th Ward This is a close one. The State of Ohio says that any local results within 0.5 percent of each other are subject to an automatic recount. Newcomer Ethan Dorr currently has 106 votes, just one more vote than current 5th Ward representative, Kristina Crites at 105. Dorr, 22, said he decided to run for city council after the public LGBTQ+ pride events and live drag show downtown last September. Crites was first appointed to a ward seat in 2021 and has since served as clerk of council and has been re-appointed to fill the ward seat. She is also currently the Director of Compliance for a bank. 6th Ward Stephen Ogg will likely take over the 6th Ward seat from his opponent, Becky Tener, who has served since 2014. Ogg received 164 votes, and Tener received 161. Ogg currently works at a law office and decided to run, hoping to cut unnecessary spending in the city's budget and lower income and sales tax. He said he wants people to be able to come to Lancaster, find a job, comfortably live here and raise a family without being taxed excessively. All election results are unofficial until the local board certifies them. May 10 is the last day for boards of elections to receive non-UOCAVA absentee ballots by mail that were postmarked on or before May 5. UOCAVA absentee ballots must be received (by mail) by the boards of elections by this date to be counted, according to the Ohio Secretary of State website. This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: One vote difference: Lancaster's 5th Ward seat is a close one
Chicago Tribune
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Lauren Rapisand readies to take over as Park Ridge 6th Ward leader, wants to ‘give back to the community'
Park Ridge Alderperson Richard 'Rick' Biagi had decided not to seek reelection to be 6th Ward leader, creating a contest to replace him where, according to unofficial vote totals from the election Tuesday, Lauren Rapisand appears to have prevailed. 'Having held elected office in Park Ridge for the past 16 years, I believe it is my time to step aside and make way for new faces and new voices,' Biagi told Pioneer Press via email ahead of the April 1 Consolidated Election. Rapisand ran against Joseph Iacullo for the City Council seat. Biagi backed Iacullo. But Iacullo, who was appointed last year to the city's Liquor License Review Board, got 42% of the vote to Rapisand's 58%, according to the unofficial vote count from the Cook County clerk's office. Ballot results are unofficial until the county clerk certifies the results in the coming weeks. A self-described seasoned communications and branding professional, Rapisand, 47, has been a Friends of the Park Ridge Public Library Board member since 2024 and on the Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Parent Advisory Board since 2023. 'I got into the race to help my neighbors. Enough of my neighbors were coming up to me saying they were struggling to find information they needed or who to contact with issues and problems,' Rapisand told Pioneer Press about her decision to run for alderperson. She said her priorities as ward leader will include finding out what the city's O'Hare Airport Commission is working on and addressing parking issues – such as behind Maine South High School and for guests of residents in restricted zones. Rapisand said she and her husband, Jason, moved to Park Ridge from the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago in 2013 looking to start a family. Their children, fourth-grader Maxwell and first-grader Reese, attend Washington Elementary School. 'One of the things I pride myself on is being able to listen,' Rapisand said. 'I thought this would be a good way to give back to the community.' She was on the Park Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees from 2018 to 2024, including two years as president. Rapisand has also been involved in the Park Ridge Newcomers Club since 2014, has co-chaired the Washington Walkathon since 2022, co-founded and co-chaired the Washington Wildcats Giveback Initiative since 2022 and been Girl Scouts Daisy troop assistant leader since 2023. 'I know a lot of folks in the community and I feel like I can help them. I feel like you have to be involved in the community to represent your community,' she said. Iacullo did not respond to Pioneer Press attempts to reach him. But according to Iacullo's campaign website, he is director of capital finance for the Chicago Transit Authority and also manages a law practice where he focuses on commercial and residential real estate. He is a married father of three. 'I am dedicated to addressing the issues that directly impact our community's quality of life,' Iacullo stated on the website. 'I believe addressing these issues through collaborative efforts and continued engagement with residents are essential for the continued growth, safety and prosperity of Park Ridge.' The website explains that he volunteers for school and sporting events for his children, and assists with organizing other sports and activities with the athletic committee of Mary, Seat of Wisdom church and school. As alderperson, he had plans for public safety that included making sure law enforcement has necessary resources, and fostering stronger relationships between law enforcement and residents, the campaign website states. He had also planned on implementing stormwater management systems to reduce flooding, and economic development such as making Park Ridge more business-friendly. Biagi exits the City Council with a lengthy public service record. Elected in 2021, Biagi chairs the City Council's Public Safety Committee and is a member of the mayor's advisory board. He was previously on the Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 board where he was president from 2017 to 2021. Additionally, he was a city Recreation and Park District commissioner from 2009 to 2017. Rapisand will be sworn in at an upcoming City Council meeting.
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Cunningham declares victory in campaign to return as Waukegan mayor; ‘I want to continue with the plans we started'
Former Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham, the city's first Black chief executive, declared victory Tuesday night in his bid to regain the office he lost four years ago, thus extending the city's 28-year string of one-term mayors. Leading in a four-candidate race, Cunningham was ahead of incumbent Mayor Ann Taylor, who defeated him four years ago to become the city's first woman chief executive, according to unofficial results. 'I'm honored and certainly grateful to the voters to allow me another opportunity to serve as their mayor,' Cunningham said. 'This election was more about the future of the city, and I believe the voters have made it very clear they trust me to lead Waukegan forward.' Expressing gratitude to his three opponents for their service to Waukegan, Cunningham said he is ready to get to work after he is inaugurated on May 5. 'I'm ready to work alongside the City Council and other local leaders, but more importantly Waukeganites, to rebuild a stronger, more united community,' he said. Cunningham collected 47.04% of 6,020 votes counted as of late Tuesday night. Taylor had 33.94%, Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, had 13.17%, and former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward, had 5.85%, according to unofficial election results from the Lake County Clerk's Office. Taylor conceded shortly after 9 p.m. She congratulated Cunningham and expressed gratitude to the people of Waukegan for their support over the past four years. 'I congratulate former Mayor Sam Cunningham on his election victory this evening, and wish him success as he leads Waukegan forward,' Taylor said. 'Serving as mayor these past four years has been an incredible honor, and I am proud of the progress we've made together as a community.' Since former Mayor Bill Durkin was reelected to a second term in 1997, Waukegan voters have chosen a different chief executive every four years since. Cunningham said numerous times during his campaign that he had unfinished business. Now, he has a chance to address that. Starting his first term with bold plans, Cunningham updated the city's master plan after nearly 40 years, crafted a capital improvement plan and shepherded three applications for an 'entertainment center called a casino' through the City Council to the Illinois Gaming Board. 'I want to continue with the plans we started,' he said in February. 'We had to put some of them on hold with COVID. I want to rebuild Waukegan. We (started) to rebuild affordable housing, particularly in the public sector. It's important to me because I lived in public housing.' Starting to rebuild the city's water plant during his tenure, Cunningham said he still sees it as a way to sell Lake Michigan water to other communities as a revenue source. It will help keep taxes down, he said. Collaborating with other governmental entities to benefit the community, Cunningham said he plans to work with the Waukegan Park District and the Lake County Forest Preserves District to create a mobility trail partially along the lakefront, from the south side of Waukegan to the Lyons Forest Preserve near Highway 41 and Route 173 in Zion. A piece of the trail puzzle is acquiring the land owned by the Canadian National Railway once used to haul coal to the now-decommissioned NRG electric generating plant. There were negotiations and an agreement during his tenure, but it did not materialize. Removal of the railroad tracks will also enable another project Cunningham said he intends to pursue — Navy Pier North — by creating an entertainment district at the beach. The area's success is also dependent on adding 700 to 1,000 residential units in the downtown area, he said. 'Downtown redevelopment ties in to the entertainment center at the beach,' Cunningham said. 'They go hand in hand. We also need a new police station, and a realignment of our current fire stations. It's all essential to the rebuilding of Waukegan.'
Chicago Tribune
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan's mayoral candidates discuss assorted issues at forum
Public safety, through the police and fire departments, along with basic services like collecting garbage, removing snow and maintaining roads have long been the domain of Waukegan's mayors, who function as the city's chief executive. Now, the mayor is expected more than ever to deal with issues related to the federal government in Washington, D.C. As national programs that provide funding for things like public housing, food assistance for low-income residents and medical care for the underserved, are being reduced or are under the threat of cuts, those needs may need to be met by local governments, at least to some degree. Waukegan's mayoral candidates — former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward, former Mayor Sam Cunningham; current Mayor Ann Taylor and current Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward — debated those issues and more during a League of Women Voters forum Saturday at the Patricia Jones Center. With the city's fiscal year coming to an end in a little more than a month, moderator Jeanne Kearby asked the candidates in front of a standing-room-only crowd of more than 150 people how they will deal with the uncertainty of changes from the federal government which occur on an almost daily basis. Taylor said a backup plan is mandatory if grants the city has sought for things like lead pipe replacement and other needs are not forthcoming from Washington. The city has built cash reserves that can be used, she said. 'One minute we're in one direction, and the next day we're in another direction,' Taylor said. 'In the weeks and months ahead, we'll get a more clear answer of what things are going to be. We're waiting almost day to day to see where things are going to be at.' Cunningham, who said he relied less on grants when he was mayor from 2017-2021, commented that the Community Development Block Grants coming from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development will likely be reduced. He sees less spending as an answer. 'We'll probably see cuts,' Cunningham said. 'How do we manage that? One simple thing … is control spending. Your budget should not grow over 2% each and every year. Control your spending. That's how you're going to control our city government.' Turner said he anticipates grants will be cut, and more control over spending is mandatory. He said he would take a close look at the money going out. He also sees more efficiency as a solution. 'There have not been any significant spending cuts' Turner said. 'We need to reign in our spending, and become more efficient in our spending, more effective in the delivery of our services. We need to be more service-oriented.' Though Taylor said she is concerned environmental efforts can be impacted if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reduced in size, and receives a significantly smaller budget from the current administration of President Donald Trump. Beadling said he is now worried. 'As far as government cuts are concerned, it's waste, fraud and abuse,' Beadling said. 'The EPA, there's a lot of waste, fraud and abuse in there.' With the federal government focusing a lot of attention on the deportation of illegal immigrants, Kearby asked the candidates how they would reconcile Illinois' Trust Law with federal efforts to accelerate immigration enforcement. For Beadling, the answer was short. 'When it comes to violent, criminal aliens who may have come over the border in the last four years, I think they need to go,' Beadling said. 'I don't think anyone in Waukegan wants to live amongst violent people.' Turner said he would abide by the Trust Act if he is elected, but wants to put more emphasis on dealing with law enforcement in Waukegan with a focus on gang crimes. He would like help from federal law enforcement in that regard. 'If the feds come in with a warrant for anyone, regardless of the immigration status, we're going to abide by that warrant, but we're not going to aid immigration officers,' Turner said. Saying Waukegan has long been a city of immigrants, Cunningham said while he will honor the Trust Law he believes the city should continue to welcome people coming to the area from other countries. 'We, in Waukegan, know how to do immigration,' Cunningham said. 'We can teach a thing or two to our national government if they come and ask us. We know what the needs are. We identify the services that are there, and we distribute them.' Since shortly after the most recent presidential election, Taylor said she has taken steps to protect the immigrant community. She made it clear during the forum her position is unchanged. The Illinois Trust Act of 2021 will be obeyed, she said. 'We follow the laws, and that is the law in the state of Illinois and that's what we will stay with,' Taylor said. 'No exceptions to that. If the federal government goes about things a different way, I don't know how that's going to happen because I don't see it happening in Illinois. I really don't.' With Vista Medical Center East furloughing workers and keeping them off the job longer than anticipated, as well as reducing its hours of service in its cardiac cauterization lab, the candidates were asked what they can do to keep a full-service hospital open in the city. Turner said the city has no control over the hospital because it is a 'private enterprise.' The issues with the hospital have been a problem for some time, with different owners over the years, he said. He said he would do what he could, including potential financial assistance. 'We can be a bully pulpit,' Turner said. 'As mayor, I will advocate for controls on how the state manages hospitals to ensure this process doesn't repeat itself. We need to get to the root causes of what their problems are and maybe a short-term bailout.' Since the hospital has an advisory board of community members, Cunningham said hospital executives should be giving board members more information so both city officials and the residents are better informed. 'This is a regional hospital,' Cunningham said. 'Our legislators and governor will listen to this mayor, and (I will) make sure he understands the importance of having this regional hospital at full capacity because the care is necessary to the region and Waukegan' With a longtime problem getting worse, Taylor said the city must have a hospital, but the city has no control over the situation. She is uncertain of the solution, but has some ideas to offer 'This area needs a regional hospital, but a hospital that does not serve our residents well is worthless,' Taylor said. 'We need a hospital that is first-rate. Whether that is making Vista a teaching hospital or whatever, the case may be that is important. We need to have stakeholders held accountable for this.' All four candidates also answered questions about development along the lakefront and downtown, as well as the role of the mayor, gun control, liquor licenses, dealing with speeding vehicles and the role of the City Council. With election day on April 1, early voting will continue at the Lake County Courthouse & Administration Building and the Jane Adams Center in Bowen Park through Monday.
Chicago Tribune
26-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan, North Chicago primaries set stage for mayoral elections
Claiming victory in the Waukegan Democratic primary, former Mayor Sam Cunningham enters a four-way race for the city's top job against incumbent Mayor Ann Taylor — who unseated him four years ago — Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, and former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward. Cunningham's performance was one of four contests for Democratic nominations in Waukegan and North Chicago, with two setting the stage for the April 1 general election for mayor in both cities, and two others putting unopposed candidates on the April ballot. Cunningham claimed victory over Miguel A. Rivera Sr. Tuesday in Waukegan with 74.82% of 2,208 votes cast to Rivera's 25.18%, according to unofficial results posted on the Lake County Clerk's Office's website. When he started his campaign to become mayor again, Cunningham said he had unfinished business. He said his goal is to 'rebuild Waukegan.' Running against two independents and a Republican, he feels his chances are good in a four-way race. 'This is a Democratic town and that momentum will carry me into the general election,' Cunningham said. 'We need a leader who can carry us through challenging times as well as good times.' High on his agenda is the development of the city's downtown and lakefront. He wants to see the Waukegan Municipal Beach area become a 'Navy Pier North.' With the city now in a solid financial position, the time is right, he said. Taylor takes credit for what she considers the city's good financial condition. In her four years in office, she said her administration has balanced the budget for four consecutive years without raising property taxes. 'Why didn't he do it in his four years,' Taylor said of Cunningham. 'We've done it. This is the best (financial) shape for the city in 45 years. This is how you attract developers. They want to see financial stability or they run away.' Turner said all four candidates for mayor are different, giving voters a clear choice. He wants to install more transparency in city government and make Waukegan a business-friendly community. 'I want to make it easier to do business with the city of Waukegan,' Turner said. 'I want to make it easier to get licenses and permits. I want to make it easier for someone to start a business or expand a business.' Beadling, who was unopposed in the Republican primary, served on the City Council from 2011 to 2015. He also wants to see more transparency in city government. Safety is a key issue for him. 'I'm sick and tired of hearing shots fired,' Beadling said. 'I hear them at my house. They make an arrest and the felons are back on the street. We're going to keep track of the plea deals that put them back out there.' Waukegan City Treasurer John R. Schwab was leading challenger Gene M. Decker with 74.82% of 2,127 votes cast to Decker's 25.28%. Schwab will be unopposed in the April 1 election. North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr., said he is confident his nearly 15-percentage-point lead over Ald. Kenneth Smith, 5th Ward, cannot be overcome from the remaining uncounted vote-by-mail ballots. He will wait until all tabulations are done to claim victory. Seeking his sixth term, Rockingham will likely face two independent candidates in April. They are Anthony Coleman, 2nd Ward, and David Hood, a security guard in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. Rockingham is leading with 57.22% of the 956 votes counted to Smith's 42.78%. 'I feel real good right now,' Rockingham said. 'We'll get the team back together and campaign hard for the next five weeks.' In the primary for the Democratic nomination for the 5th Ward North Chicago City Council seat, Tabitha Ann Wray collected 54.69% of the 256 votes cast to 32.4% for Kingston G. Neal, and 12.89% for Jerry L. Gray. She will likely be unopposed in the April 1 contest. Total turnout in Waukegan and North Chicago was 6.44%, with 3,223 votes cast out of 50.059 registered voters, according to the clerk's website. The last time there was a four-way contest for mayor of Waukegan was 2001, and six votes separated former Mayor Dan Drew from second-place finisher Newton Finn. Of 10.494 votes cast, Drew had 42.99%, Finn 42.93%, Jack Potter 11.01% and Margaret Carrasco 2.94%. Write-in candidates accounted for the remaining 0.13%, according to the clerk's records.
