In an uncontested race for Village of Lincolnwood Trustee, one incumbent regained his seat Tuesday, as two Park Board members secured the other two openings left by the retirement of a pair of longtime Village Trustees.
Lincolnwood Park Board member Barry Bass had nearly 35 percent of the vote, with incumbent Trustee Jesal Patel gaining 33 percent, and Jennifer Spino, also a Park Board member, had 32 percent, based on returns reported Tuesday night with all 11 precincts reporting.
Patel, a real estate broker and developer and 36-year resident of the village, will start serving his third term as Village Trustee this spring.
Bass, a 39-year resident of Lincolnwood who has served on the Park Board for six years; and Spino, a four-year resident of Lincolnwood who manages a construction company, will replace longtime Village Trustees Nicholas Leftakes and Renee Sprogis-Marohn, who did not seek reelection this term.
Leftakes, a member of the Finance Committee and the Fire and Water Committee, served as Trustee from 1997 to 2007. He was appointed to the Board in 2009, and was elected again in 2011.
Sprogis-Marohn was elected to the Village Board in 2003, and is the chair of the Fire and Water Committee. She also serves on the Police, Licenses and Health Committee.
The new board of trustees will enter a busy year for the village, as officials make decisions on several major issues, including key choices on potential new economic developments that could come to the village, whether to find an alternative water supplier, and decisions regarding the future of the Human Relations Commission’s flag display.
Looking forward to his approaching third term on the village board, Trustee Patel said he plans to continue working on several big issues affecting Lincolnwood this year; most notably the redevelopment of the former Purple Hotel site and addressing the proposed state budget cuts to municipalities, he said.
“We fiercely opposed the taking of our revenues which Springfield legislators considered to bridge their budget gaps,” Patel said. “Personally, I have met with several of our legislators locally and in Springfield to warn them of the consequences such a decision would have on a small municipality like ours.”
Patel, who is chair of the village’s finance committee and serves as the liaison to the Economic Development Commission and the Board of Fire and Police, also mentioned his support for the $20 million plan at School District 74 to rebuild Lincoln Hall Middle School.
“I trust that our School District is being managed by an excellent group of elected residents and paid professionals with welcomed input and involvement from the community,” Patel said. “The improvements can serve to bolster the list of attractive features the village has to offer residents and businesses alike.”
Bass, Patel, and Spino ran under a unified slate led by Village President Jerry Turry that was designated as the “Lincolnwood Alliance for Progress Party.”
“Any time a third of a body is replaced there is a learning curve with which to deal. I believe it will fall upon our staff and myself to work with the new members so they can be successful and productive. I know they are both smart and have the interests of the residents and the businesses at heart.”
Bass and Spino did not respond to requests to comment on the election.
Bass, who owns a payment processing business and is a licensed realtor, has said he plans to advocate for economic growth and reduced water bills by helping the village find an alternative supplier to the City of Chicago.”
“I look at Lincolnwood as Chicago’s best kept secret—with its proximity to the city but with all of the amenities of a North Shore suburb—and I strive to keep it that way,” Bass said before the election.
Spino said before the election that she ran for Trustee to help revitalize Lincolnwood and improve economic and community development.
For Patel, being reelected to the village board means being able continue to serve his community with what he describes as an unwavering dedication to Lincolnwood.
“In my nine years of service I have found that I care deeply for this village,” he said. “I’m passionate about my role because the work I do is very personally rewarding to me, and I know what I do makes a difference.”
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
