By Bob Balgemann

Reporter

Voters in several Boone County municipalities were restless on election day as they made some changes in the governing boards of where they live.

Former 12-year trustee Cliff Morris led much of the night and wound up winning a four-year term as mayor of the City of Belvidere. Unofficially, he received 1,306 votes or 56.81 percent of those cast, to 993 for incumbent Mike Chamberlain, or 43.19 percent. Chamberlain was seeking re-election to his third term in that position.

Sixteen percent of the city’s registered voters made that decision.

In the nearby village of Poplar Grove, the contest for village president was a close one as the challenger, Donald G. Sattler, edged incumbent Owen Costanza by nine votes, 335-326.

That village also had competition for the village board with four candidates for three upcoming vacancies and it was close there, too.

In that one voters returned incumbent Eric Miller (367 votes) for a fresh four-year term while choosing newcomers Dan Cheek (378) and James Wehrle (343) for the remaining two vacancies. David Allgood (328) fell just short of capturing one of the seats.

In Poplar Grove, 21.5-percent of the registered voters went to the polls. 

Down Illinois Route 173 in nearby Capron, where 31.3 percent of the registered voters turned out, incumbent Village President Conrad Lobinsky lost his bid for re-election to challenger Steven Bank, 156 to 59.

There also was competition among four candidates for three seats on the village board. In that one incumbents Linda Wohlfarth (154 votes) and Ryan Wakeley (109) won re-election, while capturing a first four-year term was newcomer Rachael Agee (140). Finishing close on the heels of Wakeley was Josephine Cavaliere, who garnered 99 votes. 

While there wasn’t any competition, Capron voters filled two unexpired terms on their village board by electing Jordan Deurksen with 145 ballots and Camille Wilcox with 93.

Two new faces

When the new Belvidere City Council convenes May 3, there will be two new faces in the various wards. Here’s how that landscape will look:

• Ward 1, incumbent Alderman Tom Porter is back for a second term, winning re-election without opposition.

• Ward 2, newcomer Natalie Mulhall, a Republican, needed two electionsthe Feb. 23 Republican primary and the April 6 consolidatedto win her first four-year term. Initially, she won the primary in a coin flip after tying the current office holder, appointee Daniel Arevalo, 104-104. On April 6, she defeated Independent Catherine Rose Barnes with 272 votes, or 62.39 percent of those cast, to 164, or 37.61 percent.

• Ward 3, newcomer Sheryl Prather, who won that seat right off the bat by prevailing in the primary against Daniel Hulina in yet another narrow outcome, 111-100. They were the only two candidates for the seat held for the past eight years by Republican Tom Ratcliffe. He chose not to seek re-election.

• Ward 4, the current office holder, Republican appointee Alderman Matt Fleury, won a full four-year term with 298 votes (57.75 percent) to 190 (42.25 percent) for Independent Mary Volkey.

• Ward 5, incumbent Alderman Marsha Freeman was re-elected to a second term over Democrat Christine Gardner. Freeman garnered 308 votes, or 58.53 percent of those cast, to 220, or 41.67 percent, for Gardner. 

Eight competitors

The village of Caledonia had the biggest lineup of candidates in Boone County with eight competing for four upcoming openings on its village board. Two of three incumbents in that race, Hassell Byrd and Karl Beam, were defeated. The only incumbent returning for a fresh four-year term was Lori Axtell, who finished third in the field of four successful candidates.

Trustees-elect in Caledonia were Jamie Harish with 28 votes, or 21.21 percent of those cast; Michael Hoopengarner with 27; Axtell, with 26; and Joanne Nicholson with 25. Byrd was next in line with 13 votes followed by Tonya Redding (six); Christine Castillo (four); and Beam (three). 

There only was one contest among elections in the county’s nine townships. That was in Spring Township where incumbent Road Commissioner Chad Harbison overcame the challenge of Timothy Lein to win re-election. He had 134 votes, or 67.68 percent of those cast, to 64, or 32.32 percent, for Lein.

Spring Township had a county-best voter turnout of 31.3 percent.

 
 
 
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