Why were these four suburban mayors ousted?

Who knows for sure why voters oust someone from office.

Perhaps it's just a matter of one person outworking the other.

Maybe one ran afoul of the law. Or another might have been perceived as not being transparent enough.

At any rate, suburban voters turned several mayors from office Tuesday, perhaps most prominently Lisle Village President Joe Broda, who was seeking his fifth 4-year term. Here is a rundown:

Carpentersville

Did John Skillman win the village president's race because he knows a lot of people around town, knocked on many doors, met with business people? The lifelong resident and former fire chief captured 70 percent of the vote in the race for village president. Oh, and Skillman's father was a village president, too. The man he defeated, Ed Ritter, didn't have much to say about the loss other than saluting his opponent for running a strong campaign and keeping it clean. "In general, (he) kept it on a higher plane," Ritter said.

Lake in the Hills

Village President Paul Mulcahy lost Tuesday by 318 votes to Trustee Russ Ruzanski, who was prompted to run by the incumbent's legal woes. Mulcahy, 65, was charged Nov. 6 with misdemeanor domestic battery and causing bodily harm to a woman he was dating. He is accused of dragging the woman by her feet down a flight of stairs and across the floor before throwing her out of his house. At the time, Mulcahy apologized for his actions but said they should not affect his duties as mayor. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Lisle

Joe Broda, mayor for 16 years, says voters "bought into the negativity" put forth by Chris Pecak, the challenger who captured the village's top elected post. Pecak hammered incumbents on spending for such things as a splash pad at a village park and $20,000 on downtown holiday decorations. But perhaps the heaviest charge came with accusations of a lack of transparency when Broda and others balked at releasing a recording of a closed-door meeting trustees held to discuss refinancing debt on for the Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex.

Initially, the village released only eight minutes of the discussion. The board released the full recording last week, but only after getting a letter from Illinois attorney general's office. "People wanted change," Pecak said.

Wheeling

Mayor Dean Argiris didn't survive an extended controversy over his use of a village credit card and village vehicle. While denying any misuse, Argiris gave up both, and the village manager adopted more restrictive policies for the future. Still, Argiris narrowly lost to Pat Horcher. Three trustees who strongly supported Argiris all won. They lamented the loss. "Dean has a passion that is met by none," Trustee Mary Papantos said Wednesday.