Big Night For Caucus Slate In Deerfield Village Board Race

DEERFIELD, IL — Four-year seats on a village board or city council are highly coveted in local political circles. In Deerfield, four candidates were vying for three of these seats Tuesday in a race involving two incumbents and two challengers.

With 5,914 cast votes tallied and 100 percent of precincts reporting, incumbent Mary Meirose Oppenheim was the top vote-getter (28.411 percent, 1,680 votes). The other projected winners are challenger Rebekah Metts-Childers and incumbent Robert Benton, according to the Lake County Clerk's Office. Challenger Christopher M. Goodsnyder appears to have come up short.

Mary Oppenheim, 68, has been a trustee since 2017 and also served in a seat from 2009-2013. She was supported by the Deerfield Caucus Party. She is also a past board member of Deerfield School District 109.

"I'm extremely honored and grateful to the voters who turned out to support my and the rest of the Caucus slate's candidacy. We have much work to do, getting our community back on our feet and back together as we come out of this pandemic," Oppenheim told Patch. "Our mission will be to continue on the path we've begun and meet the new challenges with creative solutions. We've got the energy and we're ready to go. My heartfelt thanks go to all of my supporters for your continued faith in me, and I renew my commitment to you to do my utmost to keep our community functioning at the highest level of services and financial health for all our residents."

Metts-Childers, 43, has worked in corporate communications for 20 years. She was supported by the Deerfield Caucus Party.

"I am really looking forward to getting into the role, learning from the existing board members and staff and bringing new viewpoints to the discussion," Metts-Childers told Patch. "I am really honored to have been endorsed by the caucus and to have received the votes I did. Now, the work of it begins."

Current trustees Barbara Struthers and Dan Shapiro did not run for reelection. Shapiro ran unopposed for mayor with Harriet Rosenthal not seeking a fourth term.

The caucus-endorsed candidates were Shapiro, Benton, Metts-Childers and Oppenheim.

Polls officially closed at 7 p.m. Early voting and vote-by-mail ballots are included in the total. Provisional ballots and late arriving vote-by-mail ballots are not included, according to the Lake County Clerk's Office. All results are unofficial. There were nearly twice as many mail-in ballots cast this election compared to the 2019 consolidated election, Chief Deputy County Clerk Todd Govani in Lake County told Patch Tuesday.

Return to Patch for results as they come in. Subscribe to free News Alerts for election results.

Election officials said that more than 10,000 requests were made in March for vote-by-mail ballots, an indicator of expected good voter turnout, according to Lake County Clerk Robin O'Connor.

The Village of Deerfield is governed by a mayor and a six-member Board of Trustees, all of whom are elected for four-year staggered terms, and who serve without pay. The Board is the legislative body of the Village government. All administrative work is performed under the direction of the Village Manager, who is salaried and appointed by the Mayor and Board of Trustees. All meetings are open to the public.

Robert Benton, 82, has served three four-year terms on the Village Board. He was supported by the Deerfield Caucus Party. He has also served as the chairman of the ad-hoc transportation committee and of the Deerfield Plan Commission.

"I'm grateful for the support of the voters and looking forward to continuing to maintain the excellent climate the Village has cultivated through the past efforts of Mayor Rosenthal, who has guided the community through an unprecedented period caused by the pandemic and the vision that Mayor-elect Dan Shapiro will bring to the coming four years and beyond," Benton told Patch. "Thanks as well to the efficient and responsive work of our Village staff who will continue to excel in their roles. The future of Deerfield promises to be very bright indeed."

Christopher M. Goodsnyder, 52, has practiced law in Illinois for the past 27 years.

RELATED

• Deerfield Voters To Decide On Village, School Board Races
• Deerfield Voter Guide: 2021 Consolidated Elections

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