Two more weeks of waiting for result of Mettawa mayor race

They were relieved the intense campaign in tiny Mettawa is over, but neither candidate for mayor celebrated Wednesday.

Veteran incumbent Barry MacLean and challenger Jess Ray gathered with supporters on election night, but neither could claim victory in one of the few contested elections in village history.

Instead, they'll remain deadlocked with 143 votes each for two more weeks, when late-arriving absentee ballots are counted.

Should those be split, the toss of a coin will determine a new leader for the normally tranquil Lake County village. One trustee seat also could be affected by those returns.

"Isn't that incredible?" asked Ray. The retired marketing executive shattered the calm along the leafy streets by organizing the Mettawa Transparency Party to challenge MacLean and incumbents for three 4-year trustee seats and one 2-year seat.

Pending the final results, the four available trustee seats were split between challengers (Bill Armstrong, John Maier) and incumbents (Larry Falbe, Mary Brennan).

MacLean, CEO of an international manufacturing business, has served on the Mettawa village board for 39 years, the last 14 as mayor. He and fellow board members countered by forming the Open Space Fiscal Responsibility Party.

"I also got more votes than I ever did before," he said Wednesday. "That's the biggest turnout by far - we've always had under 100 voters.

According to Lake County Clerk Willard Helander, 286 of 413 registered voters in Mettawa, about 69 percent, turned out Tuesday, compared with about 22 percent countywide.

Ties are rare. The last one was in the 2003 race for alderman in North Chicago. In 1995, candidates for Barrington Park District wound up knotted. Both were decided by coin flips, the required remedy by state law.

"We just hope it won't be a tie," Helander said. "I feel bad about it being a coin toss."

The outcome depends on voter choices on absentee ballots. Fourteen are outstanding, but that doesn't mean they all will be returned. Absentee ballots must be postmarked no later than April 6, and will be counted April 21.

"It's not good form to piecemeal results," Helander said. "It's got to be really tough for the candidates."

MacLean said he didn't have a reading on pending votes, but thought a few may be coming from overseas. Ray said he knew of four that would not be returned, leaving 10 outstanding.

"Then, it's a question of how did they vote," he said.

In any case, the challenge that began five months ago over the perceived secrecy of a deal to sell village-owned land for a Costco store drew the attention of residents.

"Certainly, people are more aware of the government and the issues," said Falbe, who was appointed to the board two years ago and elected Tuesday to fill the remaining two years. Falbe voted against the sale to Costco but ran with MacLean and the incumbent slate.

"Before the election, probably half the people in town couldn't even name who the mayor was."

MacLean agreed no matter the outcome, the workings of village government will get more attention.

"I assume the public will come to (village board) meetings and ask questions. That's very positive," he said.

Ray said the election was an example of how democracy works at the smallest scale.

"The people did win. The village became aware. Irrespective of the position they took, they took a position," he said.

MacLean had a prediction beyond the outcome of his race.

"Mettawa will not have quiet elections in the future," he said.