Tatooles won, but Robinson support was widespread in Inverness

In the end, the players on the Inverness village board will stay the same.

But last week's turnout at the ballot box begs the question: How did a political novice win 43 percent of the vote against longtime Village President John "Jack" Tatooles?

Nanci Staten Robinson didn't announce her candidacy until January. Her three-term opponent raised more than twice the money. And while her resume of civic involvement is extensive, she's never held political office.

To her supporters, Robinson is a convincing leader whose team put together an effective grass roots movement. Tatooles won eight of nine precincts, but only one was by an overwhelming margin.

Tina Sarantakis was one of several Inverness residents to host open houses for the Robinson, a longtime friend. Hers drew about 30 people, many of whom have younger kids.

"You get kind of stale running year after year," Sarantakis said. "Tatooles seems to get a lot of the older people and Nanci has so many fresh ideas."

Robinson, a 53-year-old reinsurance executive, isn't far removed from the years of coaching and teaching catechism classes that helped build her social circle. She won't name names, but Robinson said she was asked to run by 15 to 20 friends and neighbors from organizations she volunteered for including Palatine Youth Baseball and the Fremd High School Boosters club.

However, she denies she was approached by TOPPER - the group of Palatine Township Republicans Tatooles broke ties with years ago. Several members did sign her candidate petition at a TOPPER (Township of Palatine Principled Energized Republicans) breakfast attended by multiple candidates. The only monetary contribution came from Gary Skoien, who won the township's Republican committeeman post from Tatooles in 1992. Robinson said he donated $100.

Overall, Robinson said she raised $5,000, but she's yet to file campaign disclosure documents with the Illinois State Board of Elections showing who contributed to her political action committee. She said she donated $319 of her own money, one resident bought signs for $559 and one business donated $900. Otherwise, donations averaged about $50.

Tatooles, documents show, raised about $13,000. He said he didn't want to speculate about the identify of Robinson's supporters.

"It's over as far as I'm concerned," he said. "The people have spoken."

Robinson pulled a Democratic ballot in the last two primaries.

Barbara Ternberg, a TOPPER volunteer who signed Robinson's petition, said that her support was strictly individual and the group doesn't endorse in nonpartisan races. She added that Robinson is a brilliant candidate who rightly questioned the village's decision to start its own police department without seeking input in a referendum.

Another of Robinson's supporters was Linda Post, who has served as an Inverness trustee for 12 years but didn't run for a fourth term, in part due to differences with the president.

Robinson said she doesn't know whether she'll make another run for office. For now, she plans on monitoring spending at village board meetings. A few residents also asked her to help present drainage problems to the board, she said.

"There was a huge learning curve and I think I did very well," Robinson said. "I was challenging the status quo and to get that count was amazing."