Barconi leads in South Elgin

Two newcomers were elected and one incumbent was unseated in South Elgin, with all precincts reporting in Kane County, according to unofficial vote tallies Tuesday night.

Newcomer Jennifer Barconi led the race for seats on the South Elgin village board with 544 votes, followed by newcomer Robert Sauceda with 508 votes and incumbent John Sweet with 502 in the race for three open seats.

Incumbent Scott Richmond, 44, a lawyer who was first elected in 2005, trailed behind in fourth place with 485 votes.

Incumbent Bill DiFulvio, 52, ran as a write-in candidate, after he was knocked off the ballot by objections to his nominating petitions. DiFulvio, 52, who works in auction consulting and has served on the board since 2001, had 232 votes.

Barconi, 39, sits on the Kane County mental health advisory committee.

Sauceda works for an insurance agency and is the billing manager for Kane County’s Animal Control Department.

Sweet, 54, is a professional land surveyor who’s been on the board since 1997.

South Elgin residents wanted change, Sauceda said.

“I think it was the community’s concern with the future of South Elgin,” he said. “It was close, but the community voiced their opinion.”

Sauceda said the first thing he’ll do after he’s seated on the board is a ride-along with the police department, followed by a visit to the fire station and meetings with public works and administrative employees.

“They have the pulse of the village,” he said. “I want to know what’s going on, and get to know them.”

The three incumbents voted in favor of a new development downtown, but the two challengers say the board made the wrong decisions.

The board voted in February to approve a preliminary development plan for a 50-apartment building for low-income and disabled people, to be called Water’s Edge of South Elgin.

Barconi and Sauceda — both of whom unsuccessfully ran for Kane County Board in 2012 — said they objected to the location of the project.

Richmond said that issue likely tipped the scales.

“Obviously the voters made their decision, and the Water’s Edge project probably had a lot to do with that,” he said. “I stand by my vote. I think it was the right vote, and I think it will be a great project for South Elgin.”