Bartels back as East Dundee president

Former East Dundee Village President Jerry Bartels is back in the saddle after a squeaker victory over incumbent Dan O'Leary Tuesday.

Unofficial election results show Bartels won back his seat as the village's chief executive with 315 votes compared to 311 for O'Leary.

"I would have liked to see a few more votes but a win is a win," said Bartels, who served as a trustee from 2001 to 2005, then as village president from 2005 to 2007. "The biggest thing is we tried to run a positive campaign."

O'Leary does not plan to contest the four-vote difference, saying "I wish him well," of Bartels.

Finding a way to plug the village's budget deficit and shore up the village's economic future dominated the two-man race for village president and the five-way trustee contest for three spots.

Incumbent Rob Gorman and newcomers Paul VanOstenbridge and Lael Miller led the pack of trustees. VanOstenbridge garnered 369 votes, Miller had 367 and Gorman received 365. They were followed by Kathi Kalish with 347 votes and write-in candidate Patrick Clark with 91, unofficial tallies indicate.

Bartels wants to focus on economic development in the coming months as East Dundee confronts the loss of its Wal-Mart store among other challenges.

"There are a lot of opportunities out there," he said.

Another focus will be ensuring the village has a safe, reliable water supply, he added.

East Dundee faces a budget deficit of more than $200,000 in the upcoming fiscal year, caused mostly by a loss of sales tax revenue.

While O'Leary said he would consider eliminating staff positions, Bartels said cutting village workers ultimately would hurt residents.

Another option, candidates said, would be charging residents for garbage removal, which currently is paid for by the village's home-rule sales tax.