Wauconda Forward team sweeps trustee race
The Wauconda Forward team swept the race for seats on that town's village board Tuesday.
Tim Howe, Richard Morino and Adam Schlick won the three seats on the ballot, defeating rivals Dan Casper, Joe Lewis and Mike Silverman.
Casper, Lewis and Silverman were part of the One Wauconda slate, which was led by unsuccessful mayoral candidate Bryan Anderson.
Mayor-elect Lincoln Knight led the Wauconda Forward team.
With all ballots counted, unofficial results showed: Howe had 1,015 votes; Schlick had 950 votes; Morino had 946 votes; Lewis had 461 votes; Casper had 457 votes; and Silverman had 453 votes.
The Wauconda Forward candidates ran a positive campaign that focused on issues facing the town, including its finances and the ongoing construction of a system that will provide drinking water from Lake Michigan.
The One Wauconda candidates pushed for term limits for the mayor and trustees and campaigned for wording on the town's Heroes of Freedom Memorial that would honor veterans and active duty troops fighting in the Middle East.
Toward the end of the campaign, the One Wauconda team even sent a letter to select residents about the history of the Heroes of Freedom project that singled out comments some trustees - including Howe - made about it.
Morino believes his team's attention to issues that were important to residents made a difference.
"The way we brought facts and details to those issues resonated with them," he said.
Howe was the only incumbent trustee in the race. Schlick serves on the Wauconda Park District board, but his term ends in May, just in time for him to take a seat on the village board.
Casper, Lewis and Silverman had been recruited by Mayor Frank Bart.