Lentz widens lead in Mundelein mayor race

Two-term incumbent Steve Lentz extended his lead in the four-candidate race for mayor of Mundelein, unofficial results showed late Tuesday.

With all precincts reporting, Lentz had 1,141 votes, followed by Village Trustee Robin Meier with 680 votes. Mundelein High School District 120 board member Tom Ouimet has 586 votes and Trustee Dawn Abernathy has 531 votes.

Late arriving mail and early votes were not included in the update.

Lentz, narrowly won reelection in 2017 by five votes. He's seeking a third term in office, has campaigned on the progress Mundelein has made during his tenure, particularly redevelopment efforts in the downtown area and a current $9 million flood-relief project in an older neighborhood near Route 45 and Division Street that was prompted by a costly 2017 flood.

Abernathy has attacked Lentz over spending, particularly the cost of an ultimately scrapped plan to build a park on the eastern shore of Diamond Lake. Meier assailed that plan, too. And both she and Abernathy have said there isn't enough transparency in local government, something Lentz strongly denied.

Ouimet has criticized Lentz and the board over the residential-heavy redevelopment projects in the downtown area.