Flossmoor Village Board race unsettled as write-in votes counted

The race for Flossmoor trustee might not be settled for nearly three more weeks. Unofficial results reveal first-time candidate Gyata Kimmons pulled in at least 10 percent more votes than his challengers on the ballot, with 1,464 votes. However, the official election results, including vote counts for write-in candidates David Bruni and Michelle Nelson, have not been announced.

 

The race for Flossmoor trustee might not be settled for nearly three more weeks.

 

Three village board seats were at stake in Tuesday’s consolidated election, with longtime trustees Perry Hoag and James Mitros seeking re-election and trustee James Wilder choosing not to run for another four-year term.
 

Unofficial results reveal first-time candidate Gyata Kimmons pulled in at least 10 percent more votes than his challengers on the ballot, with 1,464 votes.

Kimmons’ strong lead over Hoag (1,125) and Mitros (937) suggests he will be one of the three candidates elected to the board.

However, the official election results, including vote counts for write-in candidates David Bruni and Michelle Nelson, have not been announced.

A representative from the Cook County Clerk’s office said this information would not be available on their website until April 23 when canvassing is finished.

Newly elected trustees are scheduled to be sworn in during a May 13 board meeting.

Mayor Paul Braun said the delay in finding out who won the election won’t affect regular business, but he will continue to wait before seeking an appointment to fill former trustee Phil Minga’s vacancy. 

Minga, also a longtime trustee, resigned from the board earlier this year. 

 

“Once we have the election results and the new board is seated, then we’ll work on appointing that position,” Braun said.

 

Braun said the official results can take a while because of the variables involved; for example, mail-in and absentee ballots can continue to come in as long as they are postmarked by the election date.

Write-in candidate Michelle Nelson said the wait for official results is frustrating, but she remains optimistic knowing she did everything she could to secure support during her campaign.

“We are all sitting on pins and needles waiting to see what the result is going to be,” she said.

Nelson said she plans to contact the county clerk’s office to find out when votes in the Flossmoor race will be calculated. 

“I want to be sitting in the room and making sure they are counting things appropriately,” she said.

After viewing electronic tapes pulled from seven of nine precincts on election night, Nelson said she noticed some potential issues that could affect counting, as some voters misspelled her name or wrote two names on the same line.

Write-in candidate David Bruni said he is thankful for those who supported him and even for those who didn’t as he anxiously awaits the official results.

“I ran to give the people of Flossmoor a choice, and if anything we certainly accomplished that,” he said. “I hope this inspires more people to get involved.”

Bruni decided to continue his campaign as a write-in candidate when the Flossmoor Electoral Board upheld objections filed by Hoag and Mitros regarding his petition, ruling that his papers were not properly numbered or bound. 

Hoag congratulated Kimmons on his successful campaign and said that he looks forward to working with him if he is re-elected to the board.

He also extended his congratulations to Nelson and Bruni for their “spirited campaign.”

“In the event either of them in the official tally are elected trustee, I wish them the best of luck,” Hoag said.