Close call for fourth opening on Carol Stream library board

Only three votes separate two incumbents competing for the fourth and final spot on the Carol Stream library board in the wake of Tuesday's election.

Whether that margin will hold up will be determined in the next couple weeks.

The top three finishers, who all won board seats Tuesday, are fairly clear, with challenger Michael Wade receiving 1,315 votes and incumbents Mary Hudspeath and Leslie Shambo garnering 1,283 and 1,238 votes respectively.

But the fourth and final seat still could potentially go to either Robert Douglas or Thomas Arends, even though unofficial totals Tuesday night showed Douglas with a slight lead.

Doreen Nelson, assistant executive director of the DuPage Election Commission, said there are still 14 days to look into any absentee and provisional ballots that haven't yet been counted.

"The absentees that had been in house by (Tuesday) are in the current totals," she said. "We have 14 days to accept and tabulate a valid absentee."

The official canvassing of the votes isn't done until April 28, so Douglas' 1,191 votes and Arends' 1,188 could change. The extra time could be a game-changer simply because the vote totals are so close.

Arends said all he can do is wait and see if anything changes. Win or lose, though, he said he wants to be involved in library activities.

Douglas said he's happy that, either way, a third incumbent will be on the board.

A slate of four challengers had been seeking to oust the incumbents.

"I'm going to continue on as if those are the correct numbers," Douglas said.