Moran, Johnson, Cullum win in Libertyville

A political newcomer who campaigned to give Libertyville residents access to more government information will take a seat on the village board.

Jim Moran, a sales executive who is involved in various community activities, led from the beginning in the race to fill three seats. Incumbents Donna Johnson and Drew Cullum each were elected to another term but Nick Proepper, also an incumbent, finished out of the running.

With all 21 precincts reporting, unofficial totals had Moran as the top vote-getter with 896, followed by Johnson with 807 and Cullum with 805 each. Proepper finished fourth with 711 votes.

Moran attributed his victory to a “lot of hard work by a lot of people.” A lifelong resident, Moran, 34, also was the youngest candidate.

Moran used social media to get across his message of more efficient government and greater transparency.

“At the end of the day, it wasn’t people voting for who their friends were. It was people voting more for an issue,” he said.

He said his first order of business would be to get more information, such as the information packets trustees get before meetings, available to people online.

“We need to provide more information to people so they know what’s going on,” he said. He also said the village operations need to be examined.

Incumbents said during the campaign that keeping a close eye on spending was a priority, although they hoped to be able to eliminate unpaid furlough days for employees.