The political landscape in the south and southwest suburbs could undergo dramatic change Tuesday as voters in more than three dozen communities choose mayors to lead their municipalities for the next four years.
Those races, along with several well-publicized school referendums, might attract more than the usual number of voters for a municipal election, officials said Monday.
Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots said she anticipates about 27 percent of registered voters to cast ballots, slightly more than the usual turnout in local elections, which is about 24 percent.
The Cook County clerk’s office, meanwhile, estimates turnout countywide to be 28 to 30 percent.
“Where you have a hotly contested mayoral race or a high-profile referendum, the turnout could exceed 40 percent, while in other municipalities it could be well below the average,” said Cook County Clerk David Orr.
Several towns have seen spirited contests to succeed mayors who have died or retired. They include Oak Lawn, Lockport, Plainfield, Mokena, Burnham, Willow Springs, Lynwood, Peotone and Minooka.
Meanwhile, in Alsip, Blue Island, Chicago Ridge, Ford Heights, Palos Hills, Crete, Crest Hill, Matteson and Steger, challengers are trying to topple incumbents who have held on to their seats for 20 years or more.
Voters throughout the area also will select village, park, fire, library and school board members in their communities, but the mayoral contests are generating the most fireworks.
One closely watched race is in South Holland, where longtime Mayor Don DeGraff is pitted against former Chicago alderman and Cook County Board of Review commissioner Robert Shaw.
A victory by Shaw and the re-election of his twin brother, William, in neighboring Dolton, would help re-establish their political power base in the south suburbs.
The brothers’ influence in the area has eroded in recent years in the face of strong opposition from their political nemesis, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.).
William Shaw lost his state Senate seat to a Jackson-backed candidate in 2002, and Robert Shaw was defeated last year in his bid for re-election to the Board of Review to a Jackson-endorsed challenger.
This time, Jackson is backing DeGraff in South Holland and Robert Watson, one of five candidates challenging William Shaw, in Dolton.
In Oak Lawn, three mayoral candidates are vying for the job held for nearly three decades by Ernest Kolb.
Seeking to replace Kolb, who died in 2003, are A. Jayne Powers, longtime clerk of the village of 55,000, former Park District President Dave Heilmann and former state Rep. John McNamara.
Most referendum issues dotting ballots throughout the region were placed by school districts in need of more tax dollars to cover mounting deficits or to build new facilities to keep pace with rising enrollments.
Stakes are especially high in Thornton Township High School District 205, which has been forced to slice $8.2 million from its budget after twice failing to pass a referendum proposal last year.
The district is seeking a 70-cent increase for each $100 of equalized assessed valuation to avoid further cuts.
Without the increase, the district’s 2006-07 budget likely would have an additional $3.5 million trimmed.
The last round of cuts included reducing the school day by one hour, trimming the number of classes students can take and eliminating or combining clubs and sports teams among the district’s three high schools.
Meanwhile, in sprawling Orland Park Elementary School District 135, officials are seeking a 42-cent tax rate increase to alleviate a $5 million deficit.
And in Plainfield Unit School District 202, officials are hoping voters approve a $220 million bond issue for eight new schools to accommodate the district’s skyrocketing enrollment.
SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY
www.voterinfonet.com
Information
312-603-0906
Spanish
312-603-6767
Chinese
312-603-6769
Korean
312-603-6745
Voter fraud hot line
312-603-0909
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Polling places
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Disabled voters
312-603-0929
Hearing impaired
312-603-0902
DUPAGE COUNTY
www.dupageelections.com
630-407-5600
KANE COUNTY
www.kanecountyelections.org
630-232-5990
LAKE COUNTY
www.co.lake.il.us/cntyclk
847-377-2410
MCHENRY COUNTY
www.mcvote.org
815-334-4242
WILL COUNTY
www.willclrk.com
815-740-4615
Chicago Tribune
