Oswego residents on Tuesday voted in the Republican primary election for village president and trustee.
There was no Democratic primary election needed in Oswego as the party’s candidates for village president and trustee were unopposed.
In the GOP race for village president, incumbent Troy Parlier appears to have defeated challenger Brian Thomas, a current village trustee.
Unofficial final results have Parlier with 53.46% of the votes with Thomas getting 46.54% of the votes, according to the Kendall County Clerk’s Office.
Parlier is in line to face Democratic candidate and former trustee Ryan Kauffman in the April 4 general election for village president.
Parlier, an Oswego junior high school math and technology teacher, defeated incumbent Gail Johnson for village president in a three-way race in 2019.
He has touted the village’s economic expansion and reduction of taxes since he took office.
“We have been able to make tax cuts, build the treasury and increase services,” Parlier said.
Parlier ran on a slate with trustee candidates James Marter II and Terry Olson, both incumbents, and Jason Kapus, a member of the Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission.
In addition, Robert Lockwood, Michael Wirt and Sarah Zameda ran for trustee in the Republican primary as a slate with Brian Thomas.
With all 24 precincts in, the unofficial final vote totals for trustee show Olson with 19.46% of the votes, Marter with 17.57%, Kapus with 17.52%, Zameda with 16.09%, Lockwood with 15.26% and Wirtz with 14.10% of the tallies, according to the Kendall County Clerk’s Office.
The top three finishers will face Democratic challengers Karin McCarthy-Lang and Luis Perez, both former trustees, and Andrew Torres in the April 4 consolidated election for trustee.
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“I am here to work for everyone,” Olson said. “I want to continue our forward motion to what residents want.”
Marter said the issues of taxes and fiscal responsibility resonated with voters.
“Taxes and fiscal responsibility were the biggest concerns and for the most part people were happy with what we have been doing,” Marter said. “I heard a lot of positive responses and not a whole lot of complaints.”
Kapus said he’ll be out campaigning to talk to residents.
“There will be more hand-shaking and listening to the concerns of constituents,” Kapus said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.