Incumbent, challenger leading in Antioch trustee race
Early election returns in the race for Antioch trustee show incumbent and challenger in the lead.
Incumbent Jerry Johnson is the leading vote-getter so far with 982 votes. Close behind, with 810 votes, is challenger Christina Wojciechowicz, a newcomer.
Johnson's fellow incumbents Scott A. Pierce and Ted P. Poulos were running neck-and-neck according to early returns. Poulos had 846 votes to Pierce's 838 votes.
Challengers Bob Burke had 534 votes and Jeremy Lohman had 526 votes.
Lohman and Wojciechowicz ran as a slate with mayoral challenger Jay Jozwiak in a campaign dubbed "Broken Promises" in which they used incumbents' statements from the last election to criticize their records. Incumbents Johnson, Pierce and Poulos said some of the observations were misrepresented or incorrect.
They said the board brought the village through the recession by cutting staff and expenses, and they were able to establish a $1.3 million reserve. Challengers criticized the incumbents' record on keeping and attracting business and hiring consultants to study opportunities along Route 173 and downtown, as well as issues involving village finances.
Burke was not affiliated with either side.