SUN CITY – With voters having cast their ballots on April 9, local elections have come to a close and new officials are getting ready to take office.
Village President Chuck Sass retained his seat in the Village of Huntley, as he ran unopposed, but there are new members to the Village Board. Trustees Pam Fender, Ron Hahn, and John Piwko each have terms that end in May, creating three open spots that were fought for by Ronda Goldman, J.R. Westberg, Jay Kadakia, and John Piwko.
Goldman, a Sun City resident, garnered the most votes at 1628.
“It was just an affirmation of the fact that I knew that Sun City stood behind me and the fact that I had so many friends and allies, and my friends in organizations believed in me for the job,” she said of winning.
Goldman’s first step is to “sit back and observe” as she seeks to become accustomed to her new role. She looks forward to guiding Huntley through a period of growth and sees parking as an area that will need to be addressed. Goldman will retain her spot as the Huntley Historical Society’s vice president, but said she will put her trustee role before all else should any conflicts occur and will focus on the “greater good of Huntley.”
Current trustee Piwko reclaimed his seat and came in second place with 1582 votes.
“Even though the official campaign is over, in the line of work that we do, we’re kind of campaigning every day,” he said, referring to how trustees must remain in touch with constituents.
Piwko wants to focus on transportation to make sure the area roads do not become congested as Huntley develops. He said the current growth plan provides “groundwork” so the infrastructure will be in place as growth begins.
Westberg, who unsuccessfully ran for a trustee spot two years ago, earned the third seat this year with 1544 votes. Westberg thanked his wife, daughters, and campaign volunteers for their support.
“I did a lot less talking and a lot more listening – understanding what the residents were looking [for],” he said of the lessons learned from his last campaign.
Like Goldman, Westberg hopes to settle into his new role in the trustee seat. His priority is bringing new business to town that will create jobs to in turn spark more commercial and residential development.
Former trustee Kadakia earned 1426 votes but did not secure a spot on the board.
The primary election for Grafton Township supervisor on Feb. 26 saw incumbent Linda Moore lose her seat and the field of contention was narrowed to Independent Jim Kearns and Republican Pam Fender.
On April 9, Kearns defeated Fender with 1944 votes to her 1877. Kearns ran as part of the Restore Grafton Township field of candidates, who sought positions throughout the township. Though not all of his party members earned spots, Kearns called for unity as the new terms begin in May.
“One of our things is we need to unite the entire township department: the road district, the supervisor’s office, the assessor’s office, that we all work together as a team along with the trustees,” Kearns said.
Kearns’ first priorities are finishing the township’s financial audits, setting a new budget, ending legal fees, and getting the township out of debt. He acknowledged that Grafton will spend conservatively until this happens, but he has no plans to cut services.
Kearns has also met with current supervisor Moore to make for a “smooth transition” when he takes office.
In other Grafton Township races, Republican Alan Zielinski defeated Independent Restore candidate Terra Jensen, 1998 votes to her 1774. He takes over for current assessor Bill Ottley in January.
In the road commissioner race, Republican Tom Poznanski earned 2020 votes, edging Independent Restore candidate Tim Hoeft with 1707 votes. Poznanski will take over for current road commissioner Jack Freund.
Republican Betty Zirk, the only current Grafton Township board member to try to reclaim a spot, did so by earning 1844 votes. She will be joined by Republican Robert Wagner (2165 votes), Independent Restore candidates Dan Ziller Jr. (1963 votes), and Joe Holtorf (1739 votes).
In Rutland Township, Supervisor and Sun City resident Margaret Sanders reclaimed her seat, as she ran unopposed. Both current Assessor Janet Siers and Highway Commissioner Howard Schultz ran unopposed and retained their seats.
Independent candidate Linda Iverson (618 votes) defeated Independent Debra Schultz (524 votes) to become clerk.
Come May, Rutland Township’s trustee board will include Independent Charleen Carlsen (760 votes), Independent Steve Schuldt (741 votes), Independent John Payson (713 votes), and Independent Frederick Buhlman (683 votes).
