Brickman concedes to Mohsenzadeh in Northfield Twp. supervisor's race
The election for supervisor of Northfield Township is finally over.
On Tuesday, sitting Supervisor Jill Brickman, who has held the position for five terms since May 2001, conceded victory to fellow Glenview resident Shiva Mohsenzadeh, her opponent in the April 6 consolidated election.
Mohsenzadeh, elected to the township board of trustees in April 2017, will be sworn in as supervisor on May 17.
Brickman would have been eligible to petition for a discovery recount. The 6,887 votes she received is within 95% of Mohsenzadeh's 7,052 votes, the criteria for a recount according to the Cook County Clerk's office. Mohsenzadeh received 50.59% of the ballots cast, Brickman 49.41%.
Mail-in and provisional ballots could be counted until April 20. Ballot canvassing occurred through April 27, after which the results were certified. Brickman had five days within certification to contest the results.
As she had stated previously, Brickman is not going to do that.
"I think because the margin (165 votes) was just too large, and why put everyone through that?" she said.
"It's a very tedious process. A recount is not a simple thing. If the recount was for a smaller number, there's always a chance for human error, but voters made their decisions and just because I'm sad about the outcome doesn't mean that it was wrong."
Including the supervisor position, candidates running as Democrats executed a sweep of Northfield Township offices, save Highway Commissioner Tim Rueckert, a Republican who ran unopposed.
Clerk-elect Caryn Meyers Fliegler and assessor-elect Alida Nally topped their incumbent Republican opponents on April 6. The Democrat trustee slate of Scott Oppenheimer, Vincent Pace, Daniel Schack and Kate Spears swept their Republican counterparts, including incumbents Dan Barrett and Melanie Peterson.
"I have a great respect for Jill and what she's done," Mohsenzadeh said. "I just believe it's time for new ideas and trying different things."
She said her first tasks would be to devise a strategic plan and compile a community survey.
"I'd like to get started on those so we can align our services with what the community wants and needs," Mohsenzadeh said.
"I'd like to also immediately improve our communications because most people don't know - having knocked on many doors in our community - what our township government does. I'd like to help our community so we can tell people what services we provide and how we can serve them," she said.
Representing most of Northbrook, Glenview and part of Northfield, Northfield Township maintains the roads and bridges in unincorporated areas, serves as a liaison to Cook County to assist residents with property tax questions, offers assistance to residents through general and emergency assistance and a food pantry, registers voters and provides passport services, according to its website.
Brickman said she felt the township office served as a "landing spot" for people who need social services. The Northfield Township Food Pantry was one of the bright spots of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020.
Though displeased with the election results, she vowed to facilitate a smooth transition to Mohsenzadeh's leadership.
"My goal is for the township to remain successful at what it does," Brickman said. "I'll do what I can to contribute to that."
She said she'd like to stay involved in community affairs, "but I think this will be the end of my township career," she said.
After 20 years at the helm, Brickman hoped to be remembered "as someone who really cares and who always did my best. Whether you agree with me or disagree, I'd just like to think that I've always done my best."