Wayne incumbents re-elected

Three Wayne village trustees interpreted their re-election over four challengers as a sign voters believe they're moving the community in the right direction, they said Wednesday.

Voters Tuesday picked trustees Ann Marie Tigges, Howard Levine and William Jensen over opponents Scott Coryell, Joseph Mascetti, Robert Schless and Chris Thomas to fill three four-year terms, unofficial results show.

"I feel we had a reaffirmation showing our commitment to the village is on the right track with voters," said Levine, who won a fourth term.

With all 10 precincts reporting in Kane and DuPage counties, Tigges landed the most votes, 270, followed by Jensen, 266, and Levine, 197. With 162 votes, Schless fell just 35 votes behind Levine, while Thomas, 122; Mascetti, 116, and Coryell, 73, filled out the bottom.

Coryell is a police officer who was seeking his first political office. Mascetti, Schless and Thoms ran together as a slate challenging a potential village annexation agreement that could result in lot sizes smaller than the four-acre minimum in their nearby neighborhood.

Schless said Wednesday his group mostly agrees with the incumbents on other issues and believes the "incumbents are going to try to do their best to make everybody happy."

"We got across the idea we have a strong interest in this issue," he said. "I'm not unhappy with the way things turned out. We gave it a try and that's it. I support those people (the incumbents)."

Tigges, who noted higher-than-usual voter turnout in Wayne, said she was pleased the election stirred debate on community issues, which the board plans to address in coming months.

"I was really proud of our community for getting out and voting," she said. "If there's one thing that comes out of this, it's that I hope people would understand we welcome that kind of discussion."

Looking forward, the incumbents said one priority remains the establishment of "quiet zones" along the former EJ&E railroad, which is expected to see increased freight traffic as a result of its recent purchase by Canadian National Railway.

Jensen said the board remains committed to preserving the semirural suburb's low-key profile.

"I stand by my position, which is conservation, preservation and restoration," he said. "Wayne is unique, a little enclave by itself. We want to preserve what we have."