This story was updated on April 11.
Official results of the April 4 election aren’t expected to be made official until the April 25 deadline for DuPage County to complete its canvass.
All that remains to be counted are some mail-in ballots, which have continued to be tallied since Election Day. And in Oak Brook, the candidates that held leads on election night continued do so as of an update Tuesday morning.
Laurence “Larry” Herman maintained a comfortable lead over fellow Village Board members Asif Yusuf and A. Suresh Reddy.
– Original Credit: Laurence “Larry” Herman
Herman’s vote total increased to 1,446 as of Tuesday morning from 1,401 on election night, giving him nearly 50% of the total votes cast. Yusuf’s election night total of 1,072 increased to 1,094 as of Tuesday, and Reddy’s Tuesday total of 374 was an increase from April 4’s 352.
The races that had six candidates seeking three Village Board seats and a newcomer challenging longtime Village Clerk Charlotte Pruss were considerably closer.
As of Tuesday’s update, Netasha Scarpiniti had tallied 1,386 votes, an increase from an April 4 total of 1,348. Pruss totaled 1,320 as of Tuesday, bettering the Election Day total of 1,278.
Incumbents Edward N. Tiesenga and Michael Manzo had the top two vote totals as of Tuesday. The only difference in the week since Election Day was that Manzo’s 1,350 votes moved him into second place, ahead of newcomer Naveen K. Jain, who had 1,335. Jain’s election night total of 1,302 was one more than Manzo’s 1,301 at that time. Tiesenga’s top vote-getter total increased to 1,532 as of Tuesday, a jump from 1,493 on April 4.
Other candidates and their vote totals for April 4/Tuesday were Henry (Hank) Haff, 1,261/1,287; Melissa A. Martin, 1,21/1,264; and John N. Anos, 970/1007.
“I’m pleased with the results, it was a hard-fought campaign,” Herman said on election night of his race against Yusuf and Reddy. “The others campaigned very well, and I think it’s great for the community that we had a big group of people willing to serve the village.”
Herman said he was not surprised that unofficial results didn’t align with the slates of candidates supporting each other.
Herman supported Manzo, Martin and Anos for Village Board, along with Scarpiniti for Village Clerk.
“I can work well with all of them,” Herman said of whatever candidates will be seated on the board when results are official. “I have worked well with Ed (Tiesenga) in the past and have a lot of respect for him. I am looking forward to working with the entire board to keep moving Oak Brook forward.”
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Once election results become official, Herman’s board seat will be open for two remaining years. He can choose someone to fill that position, but his choice must be approved the full board. Herman said it’s too early to talk about who he might be interested in to fill his board seat.
He said he is grateful to everyone who helped with his campaign, most of all outgoing Village President Gopal Lalmalani, who endorsed him.
“Gopal’s endorsement was very important for me,” Herman said.
In Butler Elementary District 53, John Baar, 1,084 votes; Reynick “Rey” Martinez, 824; and
Athanasia Soula Skokos, 631, had the highest unofficial vote totals as of Tuesday for three open board seats in a six-person race.
Other candidates were Kaleem A. Qureshi, 589; Karla Caldera, 573; and Nozaina Aftab, 433.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.