Willis steals 77th House from Saviano

Longtime Republican state Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano of Elmwood Park lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Kathleen Willis of Addison.

Willis collected 53 percent of the vote to Saviano’s 47 percent in the race for the 77th state House seat, with all precincts reporting unofficial results.

Willis, an Addison Elementary District 4 school board member and coordinator of access services at the Elmhurst College Library, ran a campaign mostly by going door-to-door talking to voters and did not respond to repeated interview requests from the Daily Herald.

On her website, she said fighting for jobs, demanding fiscal responsibility, preventing unfair property tax increases and making legislators take a pay cut are her top issues. She will serve a 2-year term.

Despite the fact Willis, who ran as a Democrat, had pulled Republican ballots in five primary elections between 2002 and 2010, Saviano said he had taken her seriously as an opponent.

Saviano, 54, of Elmwood Park, had held the 77th District seat since 1992. If he had been re-elected, he would have been required to move inside the district’s new boundaries, which now include all or parts of Addison, Bensenville, Franklin Park, unincorporated Leyden Township, Melrose Park, Northlake, Rosemont and Wood Dale.