2 earn spots on Campton Hills April ballot
Two candidates earned their places on the April municipal ballot as a result of Tuesday's primary election for Campton Hills.
According to unofficial results, Steve Galloway and Nicholas Girka succeeded in getting enough write-in votes to have their names added to the April 7 ballot as a candidates for village trustee and clerk, respectively.
"Our goal at this point was just to get on the ballot," Galloway said. "That goal has been accomplished, and now the real work starts."
Tuesday's vote means four names will be on the April ballot for three, 4-year trustee terms.
According to unofficial results, Galloway received 107 write in votes, far in excess of the 10 percent of the highest vote-getter among three other candidates - Laura Andersen, Susan George and Michael O'Dwyer - needed to be added to the April 7 ballot.
Andersen and George are seeking re-election; O'Dwyer hopes to win his first term.
Girka needed to tally at least 54 write-in votes to have his name added to the April ballot as a village clerk candidate. He received 123, according to unofficial results, and his name will be the only name on the ballot as no one filed to run for clerk.
"The only thing we wanted to do is get a clerk elected by the people," Andersen said. "It's an elected position. It should be elected and not necessarily appointed."
Tuesday's primary is a prelude to the April election, which offers voters a choice between a write-in slate headed by Village President Patsy Smith and a slate organized by village president candidate Harry Blecker, who also served as trustee.
Smith, the only president in the village's history, is running as a write-in candidate for president. Her write-in slate includes Mike Turgeon and Don Sheluga for trustee and Stephany Impson for village clerk. Galloway also is part of Smith's slate.
Blecker's slate is Andersen, George and O'Dwyer for trustee and Girka for village clerk.
Blecker says he has the finesse to get board members to compromise and move the village forward instead of Smith's approach, which he characterizes as a "my way or the highway" attitude.
"We're past that style now," Blecker said in a recent endorsement interview. "It takes a different management style."
Smith says she has eight years of proven leadership and her slate will get the village "back to business" after Blecker and others have walked out of meetings.
"It's not right what's going on," Smith also said in a recent endorsement interview. "The people need to make a choice."
Just 388 ballots were cast, which means just less than 5 percent of registered voters went to the polls, according to unofficial results.
Early voting for the April election begins on March 23. For more information or polling places, visit kanecountyelections.org.