Dixon in, Prigge out in Elgin City Council race

Challenger Corey Dixon was elected to the Elgin City Council while two-term incumbent John Prigge lost his re-election bid in Tuesday's election.

Three incumbents — Carol Rauschenberger, Rich Dunne and Terry Gavin were re-elected.

Rauschenberger was the top-vote getter with 4,674 votes, followed by Dixon with 4,118 votes, Dunne with 4,053, and Gavin with 3,524, with all 62 precincts reporting in Kane County and all 13 precincts reporting in Cook County. There were four open seats; the results are unofficial.

Challenger Brenda Rodgers had 3,241 votes, Prigge had 2,591 and challenger Brandon Yaniz was in last place with 2,252 votes.

Elgin is about 80 percent in Kane County, which reported an election turnout of 14.2 percent in the city.

Dixon, who serves the planning and zoning commission, is a caseworker for the Illinois Department of Human Services. He said he wanted to focus on economic development, especially for downtown.

“I am just so thankful and appreciative of people coming out and voting for me,” Dixon said. “Really, I'm overwhelmed with joy.”

Dixon said he plans to work “the hardest” in his new role, and attributed his victory to his campaign workers.

“I have a campaign team that comes from all different backgrounds,” he said. “They understand different cultures, and what you bring all the diversity together, I think what you are left with is just a terrific result.”

Prigge, who works as an auctioneer, said he was surprised at his loss.

“I truly don't know why (I lost),” he said. “The thought that keeps coming into my mind is that the mudslinging and the dirty politics is now a proven winning method for Elgin elections.”

Prigge cited recent media reports about a federal tax lien filed against his property by the Internal Revenue Service in 2014. Documents filed with the Kane County Recorder listed $15,103 in unpaid individual income tax balances from 2005 through 2010.

Rauschenberger, who works for Elgin Area School District U-46, won her second term. She said she wanted to help downtown become a more lively urban center. She supports sustainability initiatives and said the city needs to continue increasing diversity among its employee ranks.

Dunne works as a fire program specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, while Gavin is an insurance broker.

Dixon was the only candidate who supported increasing the minimum hourly wage in the Cook County portion of Elgin. The county approved increasing that from $8.25 to $10 effective July 1, and to $13 by 2020. Home rule communities such as Elgin can opt out.