Lentz ahead for Mundelein mayor re-election by 13 votes
Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz appeared to hold off a tough challenge from Trustee Holly Kim to win a second term Tuesday, but the unofficial margin Tuesday night was just 13 votes.
Lentz narrowly beat Kim 2,235 votes to 2,222, unofficial results showed. Local business owner Ray Ladewig finished a distant third with 391 votes.
"I feel honored that the voters selected me to serve another term," Lentz said Tuesday night. "I look forward to working with the board and rolling up our sleeves to keep Mundelein moving forward."
But Kim refused to concede Tuesday, telling the Daily Herald "there's no real result today." Provisional ballots and late-arriving ballots will be counted later this month, and Kim said she's waiting for those results.
Lentz campaigned on the progress Mundelein has made during his term, touting new businesses in the downtown area, the widening and repaving of a long stretch of Hawley Street, and economic development throughout the village.
Still, Lentz angered many residents in 2015 when he complained about unwed parents and the legalization of gay marriage in a 2015 Independence Day speech.
When asked about those remarks during the campaign, Lentz said he was "comfortable" with them, which again drew the ire of many locals, as well as criticism from Kim and Ladewig.
But the controversy wasn't enough to sink Lentz's re-election bid.
Kim had her own public relations problem last year. She was criticized by Lentz and others last summer after she announced forums about staging public protests and defending your rights when dealing with police.
Some people characterized the events as being anti-police. Kim said they were designed to teach people about their rights and reduce animosity between police and the public.