Deerfield Voters To Decide On Village, School Board Races

DEERFIELD, IL — Election Day is upon us. The polls in Lake County and Suburban Cook County open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and will remain so until 7 p.m. Election officials say that if you're in line by 7, you will be able to vote no matter how long the line is.

Deerfield voters will weigh in on a number of contested races including Village Board, Park Board and Board of Education races.

DEERFIELD VILLAGE BOARD

Ahead of the April 6 consolidated municipal elections, Deerfield Patch provided questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot. See links below for our candidate questionnaires. Four candidates are vying for three four-year trustee seats on the Deerfield Village Board on Election Day.

INCUMBENTS

Robert Benton, 82, has served three four-year terms on the Village Board. He is being supported by the Deerfield Caucus Party.

"The single most pressing issue facing our board is maintaining the Village's economy and progress through the years to the satisfaction and approval of residents and businesses," Benton said. "We must continue to provide a variety of housing for our residents, including young families, opportunities for participation in Village activities, apartments and single family residences, and retirement locations to allow seniors to remain in the community."

Mary Oppenheim, 68, has been a trustee since 2017 and also served in a seat from 2009-2013. She is being supported by the Deerfield Caucus Party.

"Our most immediate issue is keeping everybody safe and making sure we do everything we can to keep down the spread of the virus," Oppenheim said. "Dealing with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic promises to be a pressing challenge at least in the short term, and quite possibly for a long time ahead. We will need to help families that may be struggling and find resources to either help them directly or refer them to agencies that can."

CHALLENGERS

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

"I would like to make Deerfield a more business-friendly community," Goodsnyder said. "This will help bring good jobs at all levels and attract new residents to keep our community vibrant and our housing market strong."

Rebekah Metts-Childers, 43, has worked in corporate communications for 20 years.

"I love being part of a team that thinks together, discusses together, challenges each other and makes decisions for the larger community," Metts-Childers said. "I look forward to building on what the board, village staff and volunteers have done over the past years."

Current trustees Barbara Struthers and Dan Shapiro are not running for reelection. Shapiro is running unopposed for mayor with Harriet Rosenthal not seeking a fourth term.

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

DEERFIELD PARK DISTRICT BOARD

Six candidates are vying for three seats on the Deerfield Park District Board of Commissioners on Election Day. See links below for our candidate questionnaires.

The candidates include three incumbents Rick Patinkin (current president), Gil Antokal and Gregory Lapin. The challengers are Michael Brown, Joel Seeskin and Debbie Serota.

DEERFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT 109 BOARD OF EDUCATION

Eight candidates are vying for four seats on the Deerfield School District 109 Board of Education on Election Day. See links below for our candidate questionnaires.

The candidates include two incumbents (Andrew Morrison and Sari Montgomery) and six challengers (Dana Blumberg, James D'Angelo, Valarie Hays, Kelly Jakymiw, Jonathan Silver and Maureen G. Wener). Current trustees Kate Bittner and Scott Kluge are not running for reelection.

Jakymiw, Montgomery, Morrison and Wener have been endorsed by the Deerfield Public School 109 Caucus.

DEERFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD

Independents Seth J. Schriftman and Emily K. Wallace are running unopposed for six-year seats on the Deerfield Public Library Board. Schriftman is an incumbent and the current treasurer. Trustee Maureen Werner, who currently serves as secretary of the board, did not seek reelection. Instead, Werner is running for the Deerfield School District 109 Board of Education.

EARLY VOTING CONCLUDES

Through April 3, residents were able to early vote at 16 sites in Lake County. In Deerfield, early voting took place at Deerspring Pool, 200 Deerfield Road, Deerfield.

Ballot drop boxes are also back for Lake County voters at each of the early voting sites. The Lake County Clerk's Office announced in March that it will be following the protocol that was introduced in the 2020 General Election. Voters may walk into the election site with a mask and place their vote by mail ballot at any of the 16 drop boxes. Postage is free.

External drop boxes are currently not being offered for this election until new state legislation provides this option, according to Lake County Clerk Robin M. O'Connor.

State laws require early voters to provide a valid photo ID to an election official before receiving a ballot to vote early. Valid forms of ID include a current driver's license, a driver's license of state ID, university/college ID or another government-issued ID with a photo, such as a passport.

COOK COUNTY RESIDENTS

Through Monday, Deerfield residents living in Cook County can still early vote at 51 sites. Hours for early voting are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 5. Find a complete list of locations on the Cook County Clerk's website.

Click here to view the wait times for each Early Voting location

As with the November 2020 elections, drop boxes are back. Through April 5, four locations will have ballot drop boxes. Cook County staff will monitor the drop boxes daily during hours of service between 9 a.m.-4 p.m., including weekends. Mail ballots will be collected from the drop boxes a minimum of one time daily or as warranted and delivered to Cook County Elections for processing.

People dropping off mail ballots will be required to adhere to COVID-19 and other safety and security related protocols established for the Cook County courthouses. Drop box locations are:

• Skokie: Skokie Courthouse, 5600 W. Old Orchard Road, Skokie
• Markham: Markham Courthouse, 16501 S. Kedzie Avenue, Markham
• Maywood: Cook County Clerk's Office, Whitcomb Building, 1311 Maybrook Square, Room 104, Maywood
• Downtown Chicago: Cook County Clerk's Office, 69 W. Washington, Suite 500, Chicago

State laws require early voters to provide a valid photo ID to an election official before receiving a ballot to vote early. Valid forms of ID include a current driver's license, a driver's license of state ID, university/college ID or another government-issued ID with a photo, such as a passport.

During the early voting period for the April 6 consolidated election (March 22 to April 5), voters can register and vote in person at one of the Cook County Clerk's designated Early Voting locations.

Voters wishing to vote during early voting must bring two pieces of identification to register, one with a current address. Registrants must immediately cast their ballot after registering to vote. On the April 6 Election Day, voters who are not registered to vote can register and vote at their home precinct only. Find your home precinct using the voter information tool. Voters planning on registering to vote or updating their address on Election Day must bring two pieces of identification to register, one with a current address.

If you are a candidate running for office, a resident looking to endorse a candidate or just want to weigh in on the election, please do so here.