Radecki wins Geneva council seat; Burghart 'optimistic' about 7-vote lead

Jim Radecki will rejoin the Geneva City Council as the new alderman for the 4th Ward, and a former journalist appears to have won a seat for the 1st Ward, according to unofficial election results.

With all precincts reporting, Radecki, who served on the council from 1999 to 2007, tallied nearly 466 votes, easily defeating Eleanor Hamilton, who garnered 212 votes, according to unofficial results.

Radecki said it was his previous experience on the council and serving on the city's plan commission in the 1990s that helped him win 66 percent of the vote.

He said his immediate priority is dealing with Gov. Rauner's proposed cuts to state sales tax revenues that are shared with municipalities based on population. Going forward, Radecki wants to keep flat or reduce the city's property tax rate and ensure responsible redevelopment in the city.

"The first thing to do would be to deal with (Rauner's possible cuts) without raising property taxes," Radecki said. "A home run to me would be a reduction in the property tax bill, at least the city's portion."

Radecki will replace Alderman Dorothy Flanagan, who did not seek re-election after serving 22 years on the council.

In the 1st Ward, Tara Burghart held a 7-vote lead over Pat Lenski, 250 to 243 votes, according to unofficial results.

Burghart, a former Associated Press reporter, said she wanted to wait for absentee ballots to be counted, a process that could take up to two weeks. "I'm certainly optimistic, it feels great to be ahead. I knew it would be close, but not this close," she said, adding if her lead held that she would "be so honored and excited to serve the residents of Geneva."

The winner will take over for Alderman Chuck Brown, who served 25 years on the council and said in 2011 this was his final term.