Heffernan re-elected as Lily Lake village president

Two-term incumbent Jesse Heffernan defeated challenger Mike Carlson on Tuesday to remain Lily Lake village president.

Unofficial vote tallies showed Heffernan received 116 votes to Carlson's 86 votes. Tuesday's turnout, less than a third of the village's 663 registered voters, disappointed Carlson.

"I was expecting a bigger turnout for the amount of people who were complaining," said Carlson Tuesday. "But complaining and voting are two different things."

Carlson campaigned on demands for increased village financial transparency with a regular treasurer's report. He also pressed for the elimination of the village's code enforcement officer.

Heffernan countered that the small town's finances were an open book. But she faced some unhappiness from residents because the only gas station in Lily Lake had recently closed, creating an inconvenience for residents and a loss of revenue for the village.

Heffernan had said that village ordinances and board actions were posted to the village's Facebook page.

"It's basically myself and the clerk doing most of the work," said Heffernan in an earlier interview. "Our financial picture has been, I'll say, stable. We're never in the red. However, we don't have a surplus, and we never have enough to address our infrastructure, our roads."

Mary Rose Damisch and Janet Marlovits both ran uncontested for village board positions.