Evanston Election Results: Incumbents Lead, Mendoza Elected Clerk

EVANSTON, IL — The first results are in following contentious and competitive races for Evanston City Council and Evanston/Skokie School District 65 board.

The municipal elections saw contested races in eight of the city's nine wards and twice as many candidates as open seats on the board of the local elementary school district.

According to early unofficial results, all three school board incumbents and nearly every aldermanic incumbent was leading their respective races.

Although the race for mayor was settled with Daniel Biss' victory in the primary, there was a competitive citywide race decided on Tuesday — voters picked a new city clerk, Evanston's only full-time elected position.

Stephanie Mendoza was elected with more than 70 percent of the vote over, according to unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk's Office. She earned a similar share of the vote in February's primary as the lone name on the ballot. This time she was opposed by Cynthia Beebe, the top vote-getter among write-in candidates.

Incumbent aldermen Peter Braithwaite in the 2nd Ward, Melissa Wynne in the 3rd Ward, Tom Suffredin in the 6th Ward and Eleanor Revelle in the 7th Ward all held leads of varying degrees.

Ald. Judy Fiske, 1st Ward, trailed challenger Clare Kelly by 39 votes.

In the other closest race of the night, fewer than 40 votes separated City Clerk Devon Reid and Ridgeville Park Commissioner Matt Mitchell in the race to succeed 8th Ward Ald. Ann Rainey.

On the District 65 school board, all three incumbents seeking another term were poised for reelection, with the highest vote totals among the eight candidates seeking four seats on the seven-member board. Four years ago, there were just six candidates for five available seats.

Fewer than 60 votes separated newcomers Donna Wang Su and Marquise Weatherspoon in the race for the seat being vacated by Suni Kartha, with nine precincts still outstanding.

Return to Patch for more results as they come in. Subscribe to free news alerts for election results. Ballots postmarked by election day can be counted for up to two weeks.

Mayor Steve Hagerty, City Clerk Devon Reid and 5th Ward Ald. Robin Rue Simmons each decided against seeking a second term in their respective positions.

Reid ran for 8th Ward alderman against Matt Mitchell, who received 18 more votes than Ald. Ann Rainey, the longest serving member of the City Council, in the Feb. 25 primary election.

Ald. Don Wilson, 4rd Ward, was also defeated in the primary, coming in 56 votes behind second place finisher Diane Goldring and nearly 150 votes behind Jonathan Nieuwsma.

Following the primary, a group of wealthy and influential Evanstonians formed a new political action committee to support a slate of five candidates for alderman composed of four incumbents and one challenger using campaign tactics Biss described as "misleading" and "racially charged."

A quarterly fundraising report filed by the group last week indicates it violated state campaign finance law by failing to promptly disclose large gifts from Hagerty and others.

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