After a long, suspenseful race, the Niles Forward Party was able to gather the largest number of votes, winning the trustee elections.
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The Niles Forward Party slate is made up of incumbent trustee Joe LoVerde, former Niles Police Chief Dean Strzelecki and Niles Ethics Board member Denise McCreery. They faced off against incumbents Chris Hanusiak and Rosemary Palicki, as well as new candidate David Carrabotta.
Since the 2013 election, Hanusiak and Palicki have voted against initiatives supported by Mayor Andrew Przybylo more often than any other trustee. They have repeatedly clashed on issues such as the hiring of the liquor commissioner, the hiring of the inspector general and the fate of the Leaning Tower of Niles. Hanusiak expressed skepticism about the Touhy Triangle redevelopment plan championed by the mayor, especially if it would be funded using Tax Increment Financing funds and tax credits.
Hanusiak said that, more than anything, he was disappointed by the low turnout.
“During the last six years, I’ve tried to alert our citizens on the dangers to their property values because of poorly thought out ‘dreams’ of those who should be protecting property values,” he said. “But I’m very confident that during the next few years more of our citizens will challenge these poorly thought-out visions.”
The Niles Forward Party positioned itself as a slate of individuals that would help bring about improvements to the village. The candidates repeatedly complained about what they described as the divisive atmosphere. Hanusiak in particular was accused of grandstanding.
Hanusiak and Carrabotta campaigned as candidates for fiscal restraint, arguing that the village of Niles didn’t spend the money responsibly and gave tax incentives out too readily, without considering long-term consequences. Palicki campaigned as a candidate who would listen to residents and work to improve environmental practices and village resident services.
As the election began, LoVerde and Strzelecki were in the lead early and remained in the lead as more results came in. But McCreery’s position remained unclear to the end. At several points, Hanusiak gathered larger vote percentages than her, only to have McCreery regain the lead. When 22 out of 24 precincts reported the results, McCreery was ahead of Hanusiak by only 59 votes.
The Niles Forward Party held a celebration for its supporters at White Eagle Banquet, which is owned by Przybylo. As the wait for results from the remaining precincts dragged on, many guests left. But at 9:42 p.m., the results came in, and McCreery was still in the lead.
LoVerde ultimately earned 22 percent of the vote, while Strzelecki earned 19 percent and McCreery earned 17 percent. Hanusiak earned 16 percent, while Palicki earned 14 percent and Carrabotta earned 11 percent.
In his victory speech, visibly emotional LoVerde praised his fellow Niles Forward Party candidates, the mayor and the volunteers. He framed the victory as a step toward a better Niles.
“We had a mayor with a vision and we needed a board that supports that vision,” he said.
LoVerde said that the campaign was difficult, but that, in the end, it was worth the effort.
“We are going to support the mayor, and we are going to bring about a new Niles, a Niles we have never seen before,” he said.
McCreery playfully commented on the suspense the wait for her vote tally generated, joking that she always liked to make a dramatic entrance. She thanked the Niles Forward Party staff and volunteers, and emphasized that she and other candidate wouldn’t OK everything the mayor proposes.
“I want to reiterate that just because we supported the mayor doesn’t mean we’re [going to be] yes-men on the board,” said McCreery.”We are here for the community to be better.”
She concluded her speech by thanking Przybylo.
“Thank you, Andrew, for being so supportive,” said McCreery.
Strzelecki thanked the volunteers from Niles and elsewhere in Chicagoland, as well as the members of the Village Board that supported the campaign.
“I want to thank the current board – John Jekot, Danette Matyas and George,” he said. “They totally supported us.”
He finished the speech by thanking the voters, noting the turnout.
“Three-thousand voters – that’s unheard of, so you should all pat yourselves on the back,” he said.
Przybylo thanked the trustees who supported the Niles Forward Party, as well as the voters who supported the slate.
“We had a great strategy, we had 3,000 votes and we pulled it off,” he said. “But a great strategy is only as good as the people.”
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Przybylo admitted that he was looking forward to the board meetings once the new trustees are sworn in.
“I can’t tell you how much I’m going to enjoy the next four years,” he said.
Palicki said she was proud to have served as trustee for the past four years.
“I will leave office knowing that I listened to and responded to our residents and championed their best interests in all my decisions,” she said in an email. “It has been an honor to serve on the Board of Trustees and I wish the newly elected members much success.”
On his part, Przybylo told the press after the meeting that he has no ill will toward Palicki.
“I never considered her a political enemy,” he said. “I would still like to work with her.”
Igor Studenkov is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.