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One incumbent and three newcomers in lead for District 64 board

One incumbent and three newcomers appear poised to win election to the Park Ridge-Niles Elementary District 64 board, according to unofficial results Tuesday.

Eight candidates ran for four seats - but they were split into two races.

Competing for three seats with 4-year terms were incumbent Carolina Y. Sales and newcomers Rachel Georgakis, Monica Milligan, Matthew Doubleday, Monika Penksa Rossi and Francine D'Amico.

Those ahead late Tuesday were Georgakis with 3,463 votes, Milligan with 3,452, and Doubleday with 3,391, unofficial results showed.

In a separate race for one seat with a 2-year term, incumbent board President Denise Pearl was leading local real estate broker Bryan Mercado 3,509 to 2,470, unofficial results showed. Pearl, a university affiliate instructor, joined the panel in 2019.

The board has been a lightning rod for controversy in recent years, particularly over matters relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and Superintendent Eric Olson's performance. Olson recently announced he's leaving the district in June.

• Daily Herald staff writer Christopher Placek contributed to this report.

Bryan Mercado, left, and Denise Pearl are candidates for a 2-year term in the Park Ridge-Niles Elementary District 64 school board.
Francine D'Amico
Matthew Doubleday
Rachel Georgakis
Monica Milligan
Monika Penksa-Rossi
Carolina Y. Sales
Bryan Mercado
Denise Pearl
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