Soto retakes Hainesville mayor post

Linda Soto reclaimed the mayor's seat in Hainesville in Tuesday's election. Unofficial totals from both precincts show Soto, who was mayor from 1997 to 2001, collected 371 votes to 186 for Mayor Theodore "Ted" Mueller.

In the trustee contest to fill three, 4-year terms, newcomer Georgann Duberstein led the pack with 398 votes, followed by Gerry Daley with 363 and John Derenoski with 298. The lone incumbent trustee candidate, Deborah Lee Bonds, finished out of the running with 234 tallies.

Village officials' handling of the decision to create Hainesville's first-ever police department was a high-profile issue.