* One problem the state government has had with recruiting new employees is convincing people to live in Springfield. The city just hasn’t moved forward in years. Maybe this will change things some…
Two-term mayor Jim Langfelder conceded Tuesday night following an unsuccessful bid for a third term as the city’s top official.
The concession means that City Treasurer Misty Buscher will be just the second woman elected mayor of Springfield. With all precincts reporting, Buscher defeated Langfelder by 772 votes, getting 51.5% of the vote to Langfelder’s 48.5%.
* Equality Illinois…
“We are extremely proud of the historic electoral victories of Clare Killman for the Carbondale City Council and Jackie McKethen for the Crete Library Board. With yesterday’s exciting election results, Killman will be the first Trans person to serve on a city council in Illinois and McKethen will be the first Trans person to serve on a library board in Illinois. With only five Trans people now elected to office in Illinois, Trans people remain severely underrepresented in all levels of government. Killman and McKethen will be powerful voices for change and will inspire more Trans people to run for office in their communities. Now more than ever, we need Trans voices in rooms of power. We look forward to advancing justice with Clare Killman on the Carbondale City Council and Jackie McKethen on the Crete Library Board.”
* Also in Carbondale…
On Tuesday, April 4, just after 9 p.m., mayoral candidate Harold Visser conceded, giving the win to opponent Carolin Harvey. Harvey has been acting mayor, or mayor pro tem, since Mayor Mike Henry took a leave of absence.
She is now the City of Carbondale’s first Black mayor. Her platform includes curbing crime in the city and increasing the availability of housing for low and middle income families.
And…
If unofficial totals hold once mail-in and early voting ballots are counted and with the election of Carolin Harvey as mayor, for the first time in Carbondale history a majority of the city council will be women.
* Some Awake Illinois results…
…Adding… Those Quincy candidates were also supported by US Rep. Mary Miller and Tom Devore. And Darren Bailey’s candidate in Richland County’s school district, Dusty Kocher, lost.
* WGLT…
Candidates from both of the informal slates seeking four seats on the Unit 5 school board said the heated race left them exhausted, though their reasons differ.
Vote totals as of late tonight indicate incumbents Amy Roser and Kelly Pyle, along with newcomers Alex Williams and Mark Adams, are slated to win those four seats. Together, they comprised an informal slate that was pro-referendum and endorsed by the Unit Five Education Association teachers’ union. […]
Dennis Frank was one of four candidates who ran on an informal Students First slate, largely united by a shared campaign value that the referendum was not a solution to a growing deficit in the district’s education fund. Frank ran with Mollie Emery, Brad Wurth and Amee Jada; none appeared to have a viable chance at snagging a seat as of late tonight with 100% precincts reporting. […]
“I think we ran a good race. I think it’s unfortunate that we voted in the same school board that we had before; Unit 5 is in a mess, I truly believe that,” Frank said. “I’m probably joining a lot of other people and I’ll probably leave the state of Illinois. That’s where my next step is — meaning you can’t stay here and hope for better things. We just keep voting the same way.”
* And, finally, my youngest brother (Isabel’s dad) won his race…
WE DID IT. 'Thank you' to every person who voted for me and supported our campaign. Now it is time to get to work!
Posted by Devin Miller on Tuesday, April 4, 2023
What else happened out there?
…Adding… Moms Demand Action is declaring victory in some Illinois races…
• David Kaptain, who was elected Mayor of Elgin, IL
• Martha Paschke, who was elected Alderperson for Geneva, IL, Ward 4
• Kelly Henry, who was elected to the Elmhurst, IL School District 205 Board of Education
• Julie Hill, who was elected to the Glen Ellyn, IL School District 41 Board of Education
• Becky McCabe, who was elected to the St. Charles, IL Community School Unit District 303 Board of Education
• Beth Pope, who was elected to the Warren, IL Township High School District 121 Board of Education
• Meghan McMillin, who was elected to the West Northfield, IL School District 31 Board of Education
• Amy Sabor, who was elected to the Woodland, IL Community Consolidated School District 50 Board of Education
• Jackie McGrath, who was elected as Barrington, IL Public Library District Trustee
• Lauren Kunstler, who was elected as Geneva, IL Public Library Board Trustee
…Adding… Some Republican high-points…
[Naperville mayoral candidate Scott] Wehrli took in almost twice as much in campaign donations as White, much of it from real estate developers and brokers and Republican political action committees, while much of White’s money came from unions and Democratic state lawmakers.
White voted for the city’s ban on the sale of assault rifles, made in response to last year’s mass shooting in Highland Park, while Wehrli questioned whether it’s made anyone safer. […]
Terry D’Arcy, a car dealer and well-known philanthropist, held a big lead and declared victory over two-term incumbent Bob O’Dekirk in the race for Joliet mayor. […]
Still, the mayor’s critics accuse him of alienating neighboring communities with an often-overbearing leadership style that provokes political infighting that has marred his tenure as mayor. The city has had five city managers in as many years. The Police Department, meanwhile, is on its fourth chief since 2017 and is the target of an ongoing Illinois attorney general’s office civil probe.
*** UPDATE *** From IEA President Kathi Griffin…
We are thrilled to see public education win and win big during the April 4 consolidated elections. This was an unprecedented school board election cycle. For the first time ever, there was a national dark money group created to put extremist, fringe candidates on our local school boards. But these outside influences were no match for our members and the good people of Illinois. Illinois voters have spoken. They believe we need strong public schools for all students.
It gives me great joy to say the Illinois Education Association (IEA) had a nearly 90 percent success rate in the races for which we recommended candidates. This confirms what we see reflected in the data from the IEA’s State of Education Report year after year, Illinoisans trust our educators most when it comes to making decisions within our public schools.
Our IEA locals participated in school board elections at an astounding rate this cycle. We were involved in upwards of 100 different races across the state, holding meet and greets, canvassing and campaigning on behalf of pro-public education candidates who will put our students first. We also supported and helped elect former public education teacher and union organizer, Brandon Johnson, to be Chicago’s next mayor. I want to issue a deep, heartfelt thank you to all our teachers, education support staff and public education advocates for your hard work. Because of you, voters knew what was at stake and overwhelmingly chose to support our students, our educators and our public schools. We know strong schools mean strong communities. Together we can do what’s best for ALL students. Public schools unite us.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:37 am:
Yay Isabel’s dad…… Thanks for posting the AWAKE race results. I want them all to lose. Plus, as many are joking today, their candidate in Chicago lost.
- Big Dipper - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:45 am:
==Plus, as many are joking today, their candidate in Chicago lost.==
I wonder if his poorly-thought-out criticism of Trump (MAGA people were his base) resulted in many of his 50+ supporters staying home yesterday. They were irate on his Twitter.
- Arguenda - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:48 am:
The AWAKE news thrills me to the bone.
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:51 am:
The Joliet Mayor race was surprising. The incumbent 20term mayor lost in what can easily be called a blowout. 2:1 voted for the new guy.
As for the awake candidates who may squeak by with a win, any of them who don’t find themselves with a like-minded majority will almost certainly resign before the end of their term.
We had something similar locally here a few years ago, and once the minority board members kept getting taken to task at board meetings by the general public for their poor performance, they all eventually resigned because the ego bruising was simply too much for them to handle.
They aren’t interested in governing. They are interested in domination. If they can’t do that, their interest in the position will quickly wane.
I don’t have a crystal ball obviously, but I’ve seen this play out locally with this same personality type. It always has ended the same way, at least locally. It will be interesting going forward to watch the boards where one or two of the awake candidates were able to get a position.
- Jerry - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:53 am:
Not many folks interested in guv’mint control of speech that AWAKE was selling.
- The Truth - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:55 am:
Please forgive this somewhat-doubled post, but it’s more in context here.
Awake IL became well-known enough (and crazy enough) that their website provided a handy tool for school board voters to use as a “Who Not To Vote For Guide.” In such a low-turnout race I was sure they’d drum up enough support to win a significant amount of seats.
- DHS Drone - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:56 am:
Awake endorsed candidates in Lyons Township High School District 204 all went down. All 3 tried to deny or play down the Awake endorsements but it stuck. One even attended an Awake training but tried to claim he was not part of the group. Glad the district voters saw through it. And that Awake members went down in so many other areas.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:56 am:
Congrats to ALL the Millers, each had a great election days, be it coverage, research, and even an election win. A pretty solid day, if you ask me.
To the post,
The Hamlet apparently is saved from the book burners. I’m proud to say that the defeat isn’t a fluke or some oddity, but it’s a real moment to look at all of where Oswego 308 is, in Montgomery, Plainfield, Aurora, Oswego… so many nuances, but a resolve to stop these folks.
There was an effort of “education” going on. I’ll let other speak to that and whom should be taking bows in Oswego and elsewhere.
- Name Withheld - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:57 am:
Congratulations to your dad, Isabel!
- Ryan - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:57 am:
“I’m probably joining a lot of other people and I’ll probably leave the state of Illinois. That’s where my next step is — meaning you can’t stay here and hope for better things. We just keep voting the same way.”
Well, bye. I’m glad my vote will help you on your way. The far-right crazies were soundly defeated here last night. Even our local far-right flame throwing blogger appears to be calling it a day with her “news no one reports site.”
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:02 am:
===“I think we ran a good race. I think it’s unfortunate that we voted in the same school board that we had before; Unit 5 is in a mess, I truly believe that,” Frank said. “I’m probably joining a lot of other people and I’ll probably leave the state of Illinois. That’s where my next step is — meaning you can’t stay here and hope for better things. We just keep voting the same way.”===
They’re voting against your thoughts because how you see things isn’t how a majority wants its government to be.
Frank leaving, “have at it”, am I suppose to shed a tear, beg for folks to “stay”, bend to unpopular ideal to please a minority that has thoughts to denying thoughts and right to others…
I’m not gonna miss you.
- Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:03 am:
Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau lost again, as his power grab referendum to take the village away from a managerial form of government lost almost 2-1. Most of his endorsed candidates in other local races also lost. He barely won both of his terms, and could be vulnerable in a couple years if the opposition gets a better candidate.
- Jibba - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:03 am:
Shocker. Who knew that voters wanted their school board members to be most interested in the welfare of the kids rather than pursuing an unrelated political agenda?
- Anon324 - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:06 am:
Awake’s favorite southwest suburban mayor was handed numerous defeats yesterday in Orland Park, as his attempt to take over the village government fell short and only 1 of his 3 candidates (also endorsed by Awkake) for the D135 school board won.
- G'Kar - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:09 am:
In the race for the Illinois Valley Community College trustees race, two YANA candidates were soundly defeated.
- Dotnonymous - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:15 am:
AWAKE…couldn’t cut the cake…Yippee!
- Memberin - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:21 am:
D205 Elmhurst too, all the AWAKE candidates lost, BIGLY.
- Publius - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:21 am:
The faster all those Awake people leave Illinois the better.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:21 am:
The abject failure of the Awake candidates across the state (especially in our red rural and downstate communities) gives me great hope. The message that I hear is thus:
Politics is fine for statewide and ILGA elections but leave our kids out of politics.
It is a good message that I am sure they will miss.
=They’re voting against your thoughts because how you see things isn’t how a majority wants its government to be.
Frank leaving, “have at it”, am I suppose to shed a tear, beg for folks to “stay”, bend to unpopular ideal to please a minority that has thoughts to denying thoughts and right to others…
I’m not gonna miss you.=
Amen brother.
- JoanP - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:23 am:
Guess this is what happens when parents exercise their rights at the ballot box.
- JoeMaddon - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:24 am:
Pretty sure that Reining lost in D300 too, making it a clean sweep against the Awake candidates.
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:32 am:
Great to see bigotry lose big, the manufactured war against nonexistent CRT teaching in school and “grooming.”
Congrats to the Miller family on a great win.
- Been There - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:33 am:
====And, finally, my youngest brother (Isabel’s dad) won his race…=====
Congrats to Isabel’s dad’s win. But man what a drop off in the down ballot races in that area.
- Techie - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:34 am:
Sad that Kaneland’s school funding request was soundly defeated. The district could have used the money to maintain aging buildings and invest in improvements for the district.
At least the local library will get the money it needs to stay open full-time.
- Give Us Barabbas - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:57 am:
Had Langfelder had a primary opponent I would have voted for that person; his feckless waffling during covid, pandering to anti-vaxer restauranteurs, and his fumbling on getting the Hilton tower turned around into downtown housing, turned me off.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:01 am:
What Vallas and the like don’t grasp is that AWAKE’s notoriety does not equate to popularity. The more aware that voters are to AWAKE’s agenda the more turned off they are by their candidates.
- TJ - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:01 am:
Still darned stoked that the entire Nord slate in Normal lost. Damn good showing.
- Shibboleth - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:03 am:
Thank you Carbondale for making me proud.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:22 am:
=What Vallas and the like don’t grasp is that AWAKE’s notoriety does not equate to popularity.=
Exactly. They are more notorious than popular.
Because they are loud they think they are right. It really only means they cannot hear the pushback over their own shouting.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:23 am:
Great job protecting kids and education Illinois voters.
- Anyone Remember - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:27 am:
“Had Langfelder … .”
As was noted on Springfield radio yesterday, his opponent, the winner, is backed by people who haven’t been this excited since Karen Hasara was on the ballot. The 8 years that gave Springfield the Office Tavern beating, the CWLP power marketing scandal, and Hasara saying in a council meeting “I believe there is racism in the Springfield Police Department.” related to the smearing of Renatta Frazier.
And Hasara is the “editor” of the online The Springfield Reporter, which reads like a Proft rag.
- Give Me A Break - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:32 am:
AWAKE losses remind of the football coaches and parents who were going to make sure JB lost because of the football season cancelled in the Fall of 2020. Loud mouth blow hards who think the world is on their side.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:35 am:
There’s a headline I haven’t seen in a while
A Wehrli winning at anything.
I Grant you it may be a different Wehrli…
- ArchPundit - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:46 am:
====Unit 5 is in a mess, I truly believe that…“I’m probably joining a lot of other people and I’ll probably leave the state of Illinois
Notoriously liberal Normal. Unit 5 also contains the more conservative rural areas surrounding Bloomington-Normal so he lost in his crowd. Introspection is clearly too much to ask.
- Skokie Man - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:48 am:
Awake IL took all of their endorsements down from their site… seems like a strange thing to do unless you’re trying to prevent a postmortem of your work. Luckily, IL Families for Public Schools preserved their endorsements and also Dan Proft’s:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15u4YJolxLZFqHSn5FM8y5jMJitXdQuEQb7MAPrdoIvA/edit#gid=114680309
Awake had 124 endorsements. Unofficially, 34 of their candidates won and 90 lost.
If you look at the candidates who were endorsed by both Awake and Proft, they won 11 and lost 36. They swept 4 seats in Huntley, won 2 in Lockport and Palatine, and took 1 each in Hinsdale, Lockport and Orland Park.
Overall, a pretty fantastic day for sanity.
- JT11505 - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:05 pm:
I did notice that in one of my school board elections, the AWAKE candidate was also endorsed by the teachers union, which seemed a bit strange.
- Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:05 pm:
“I lost, so I’m taking my marbles and moving.”
Man, right-wingers are some kind of tough-talking yet weak-kneed snivelers.
- Twitter cat lady - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:18 pm:
Clair Killman is an advocate for high city density, something Carbondale is struggling with. Chain stores buy up cheap land on the fringes of town and expect the city to serve them with infrastructure while the middle of town is filled with deteriorating single family homes owned by rental companies.
- Just a Citizen - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:23 pm:
Congratulations to Devin, Isabel’s dad, on his win. He did what candidates should do to win; he went door to door talking to the constituents.
- MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:32 pm:
“Congrats to ALL the Millers*, each had a great election day”
*Except US Rep. Mary Miller (no relation) who supported the three losing Awake Illinois’ candidates in the Quincy School District 172 race.
– MrJM
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:34 pm:
===*Except US Rep. Mary Miller (no relation)===
Without objection…
- Stuck in Celliniland - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:58 pm:
==David Kaptain, who was elected Mayor of Elgin, IL==
I guess that makes David the Kaptain of Elgin.
- Proud Sucker - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:06 pm:
“I Grant you it may be a different Wehrli…”
I see what you did there. Well played sir, well played.
- Tim - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:15 pm:
It was a good day for one Awake-connected candidate: Awake co-founder and former VP Josh McBroom won a seat on the Naperville City Council. He was previously on the park board and one of the proponents of a failed park district lawsuit against Gov. Pritzker regarding COVID restrictions.
- Vote Quimby - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:33 pm:
Congrats to Isabel’s dad…. even more impressive (if true) is I have heard reports that all his campaign signs were picked up today.
- Politix - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:34 pm:
Congrats to your bro! It takes a lot of guts and commitment to run for any elective office. Kudos.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:48 pm:
==It was a good day for one Awake-connected candidate:==
I wouldn’t consider anything regarding Awake to be a good day.
- Lincoln Lad - Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 5:07 pm:
-Tim-
As a Naperville resident, seeing McBroom win a seat on the City Council was very disappointing.