Wlezen leads Burlington president race by one vote

A single vote separates the two candidates for Burlington village president, leaving front-runner Trustee Mary Kay Wlezen and two-term incumbent Bob Walsh wondering whether outstanding mail-in ballots could determine who wins.

Wlezen, the chairwoman of the village's planning and development committee, held a 46 to 45 vote lead over Walsh, a two-term incumbent, as of Tuesday night. Both candidates are cautiously awaiting the next two weeks before the mail-in deadline passes on April 20.

Ninety-two ballots - including early votes - have been cast among the 389 registered voters in Burlington. While all 92 voted in the trustee election, 91 voted for one of the village president candidates.

"I'm still in shock," Wlezen said. "I fought hard. I'm thrilled for Burlington and I'm thrilled for myself."

As of Tuesday night, Kane County overall had received 2,851 completed mail-in ballots out of 5,778 it sent out.

Walsh served as village trustee for 12 years before being elected president in 2013.

"There may be a couple more votes out there," Walsh said. "Ninety-one votes is disappointing because a lot of people aren't recognizing how important this is. The other thing is that this shows a huge division in the village."