Meier defeats Wilson in Mundelein mayoral race
The third time was the charm for Mundelein mayoral aspirant Robin Meier.
As ballots were counted Tuesday, Meier was ahead of fellow Trustee Tim Wilson for the center seat on the village hall dais. Meier had 1,335 votes to Wilson’s 837, unofficial results showed.
Wilson said he called Meier late Tuesday night to concede.
Meier will succeed incumbent Steve Lentz, who’s stepping down after three terms as mayor and one as a trustee.
Meier will be the village’s second female mayor. Marilyn Sindles had the job from 1989 to 2005.
Meier is a retiree who has served three stints on the village board, starting in 2008. She also ran for mayor in 2013 and 2021, losing to Lentz both times.
Wilson is a regional sales manager who was elected to the village board in 2021. He was endorsed by Lentz.
Meier said she thinks she stood out with voters because she addressed issues they care about, such as the need to bring more businesses to town, especially to vacant storefronts. She said her experience on the board and reputation for responsiveness on social media probably were beneficial, too.
Whereas Wilson has been a solid ally of Lentz’s during their time on the village board, Meier and Lentz have butted heads over some issues. Last year, she opposed the water-and-sewer rate increase that was backed by Lentz and approved by most other trustees, including Wilson.
Meier also opposed the sales tax increase the board approved in 2024. Wilson supported that proposal.
Like Meier, Wilson said attracting new businesses should be a priority.
The candidates also were fairly aligned on the controversial Ivanhoe Village proposal, which promises to bring hundreds of homes, along with commercial buildings and more to what is now the Wirtz family’s land near routes 60 and 83. The project has prompted complaints from officials with Fremont School District 79 and Mundelein High School District 120, who say it will lead to many more students and overwhelm services and facilities.
Meier called Ivanhoe Village “an interesting concept.” Wilson, who’s on the committee negotiating details of the plan with the intended developers, favorably compared the proposal to a similar project in Glenview and said it’ll be “a great addition to our community.”
The contest was remarkably harmonious. When Meier and Wilson got together for in-person and online forums, they stuck to the issues rather than throwing ugly accusations at each other. Acrimony was absent from their social media posts, too.
“I felt both candidates had mutual respect for each other and kept to the issues we each bring to the table,” Meier said Tuesday. “I believe most of our supporters honored our desire to stay focused on the positive and to avoid mudslinging. I know I appreciated it.”
Wilson said he loves the community too much to go negative. He sounded proud of his campaign Tuesday.
“I worked as hard as I could to get every vote I could,” Wilson said.
The race for the village board was uncontested, with incumbent Daniel Juarez and newcomers Jennifer Grieco and Arnold Krinski the only candidates for three seats.
Likewise, Village Clerk Karen Walsh ran unopposed for her post.