New Winfield president must unite warring factions

Four years ago, Rudy Czech received more than 1,400 votes and won the Winfield village presidency by a sizable margin.

On Tuesday night, he finished dead last in a four-way race - receiving a little more than 200 votes.

While several factors contributed to his losing quest for a second term, Czech said his failed attempts to unite Winfield's various factions played a role.

Now Czech says he hopes the trustee who will replace him - Deborah Birutis - will have more success in dealing with the power struggle in the rustic village.

"Good luck to her," he said. "She's going to have the same difficulties I had. These factions are not going away."

Birutis said she understands that while 1,172 residents voted for her, another 1,478 people voted for the other three candidates, according to unofficial results.

"I am going to continue to talk to people and show them that I am there for them - just keep the lines of communication open and to respect every individual's opinion," she said. "I think the more they get to know me, the more they're going to realize that I am looking out for the best interest of Winfield. And if they are, too, then I think that we can all come together."

Birutis was supported by Winfield United for a Better Community, the group that backed Czech four years ago.

However, Czech said, there's "a number of residents who just don't feel that Winfield United represents their views."

And when Czech tried to appoint people to the plan commission who weren't supported by Winfield United, he said that only contributed to him losing that group's endorsement.

"So you end up being on the outs with everyone," he said.

Still, he concedes that Birutis could have better luck than he did.

"We've got to give her a chance, but I don't know," he said. "It's going to be challenging for her."

Birutis said she's going to be fair to all the residents in town. And when it comes to making appointments to committees, she wants to tap all the talent the village has to offer.

"If there's somebody who has a talent that wants to help the community, they definitely will be considered," she said. "I am not going to go around and say, 'Did you vote for me?' That doesn't matter."

Still, Tony Reyes, who came in second in Tuesday's race, said he doubts whether his supporters will rally around Birutis because "they wanted all the incumbents out."

"This town is divided," Reyes said. "This is not going to be a good situation for Winfield. History will repeat itself."