Werfel easily defeats Powell in Lake County District 6

A veteran Grayslake village trustee will get a second shot at higher office after a convincing win Tuesday.

Jeff Werfel, who was elected to the Grayslake village board in 2003 and is serving his third term, easily defeated Timothy S. Powell of Hainesville for the Republican nomination for the Lake County Board District 6 seat.

With all 26 precincts reporting, unofficial totals had Werfel winning the seat with 1,084 votes to 457 for Powell.

District 6 covers Grayslake and Hainesville and portions of Round Lake Park and Round Lake Beach. He'll face Grayslake attorney John Wylie in November.

"It's very humbling to have so many people in the district give me their support," Werfel said.

A marketing, management consultant who served four years as a legislative aide to former state Rep. Sandy Cole, Werfel in November 2012 was defeated handily by Democratic incumbent Pat Carey, a former Grayslake mayor, who was re-elected to a 2-year term.

Carey is not running for re-election but has endorsed Wylie, who is making his first run at elected office. Werfel and Wylie live in the Prairie Crossing conservation community in Grayslake.

"My main issues are economic development, retaining and crating jobs and making government as responsive and efficient as possible," Werfel said.

Powell, 65, is a former Avon Township trustee who currently serves on the Grayslake Area Public Library District and Grayslake Park District boards.