Mokena Election: Mayor, Village, School, Park District Boards

MOKENA, IL — Election Day is almost here. There are several elections in Mokena for village president, school districts, village trustee, township, park district, fire district and library, although many candidates are running uncontested.

Village of Mokena

Not only is the position of Village President up for election, but there are also three open positions for Mokena Village Trustee.

There are three candidates for village president:

• Frank Fleischer
• Harley Schinker
• Nick Sunzere (write-in candidate)

There are six candidates running for three trustee positions:

• Julie Musselman Oost
• George Metanias
• Rob Dauphinais
• Melissa Fedora
• Jason Wegner
• Edward Donnelly

Fleischer is the current village president for Mokena, and Metanias is a current trustee for the village. Fleischer and Metanias, as well as Fedora and Dauphinais are running on the Friends of Mokena slate.

Fedora currently serves as the Executive Director for the Mokena Chamber of Commerce, and has a degree in journalism, according to the slate's website.

Dauphinais works in the nonprofit industry, and has also served as a member of the planning and zoning commissioner for the Village of Mokena, the slate's website states.

Schinker, Wegner and Donnelly are running together, and the candidates have listed change, inclusion, and public safety as priorities for their team. Schinker is a retired police chief; Wegner is a small business owner; and Donnelly is a regional account manager.

Sunzere is a firefighter/paramedic, and has said on his Facebook he decided to run as a write-in candidate "because I saw the disappointment in the residents of Mokena after the candidates for Village President were announced."

Musselman Oost stated on her Facebook page that "connection, communication, and transparency are the primary principles that need to be strengthened in Mokena."

Oost has degrees in economics, and works as a vice president of regulatory affairs and contracts.

Mokena Park District Board of Commissioners

There are four candidates running for three open positions as commissioners for the Mokena Park District Board:

• Jeffrey Apel
• Robert Lindbloom
• Mary Louise Knoerzer
• Israel Smith

Apel, Lindbloom, and Knoerzer are all current board members, with Apel serving as president, Lindbloom as treasurer, and Knoerzer as secretary.

Smith works in real estate, and has previously served as a township committeeman. In his candidate questionnaire, Smith wrote that the most pressing issue facing the board are the Whisper Creek Park and a new maintenance facility.

"It is essential that these projects are completed on budget and on time. I have been following the planning and development process of both of these projects and as commissioner I will be actively involved to be sure that we do everything possible to keep this project on time and on budget," he wrote.

District 159 Board of Education

There are five candidates running for four open positions on the Mokena School District 159 Board of Education:

• James Andresen
• Lisa Zielinski
• Anna Briscoe
• Eric Bush
• Colleen Lamonte

Bush, Zielinski, Briscoe and Andresen are all current board members.

According to the district website, Andresen has a degree in communications and has served as president of the Mokena Lions Club and president and vice president of the District 159 board.

Briscoe is the secretary of the board, and has previously volunteered within the schools, the district website states. Zielinski is the current vice president of the board, and has served on the Mokena Miracles Board as well.

Bush has an accounting degree, as well as an MBA, and has previously served as president of the board for St. John's United Church of Christ in Mokena, the district's website states.

Lincoln-Way D210 Board of Education

There are five candidates running for three open positions as board members for the Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education. The candidates are:

• Emily Biegel
• Aaron Janik
• Deadra Stokes
• Joseph Kosteck
• Tania Rempert

Janik, Stokes and Kosteck are all current board members, while Rempert and Biegel are newcomer candidates.

Biegel is a high school teacher, and has previously served as a precinct commiteeperson. In her Patch questionnaire, she wrote that the most pressing issue facing the board was that, "school board members foster positive relationships with teachers, students, administrators, and community members so that we can all work together to ensure that all students thrive while in our schools."

Janik is the current vice president of the school board, and works as an attorney. In his questionnaire, he wrote that the most pressing issue facing the board is long-term debt.

"I want to maintain the current reputation of the District, ensuring students receive a high quality education, while continuing to improve on the District's financial position," he wrote.

Stokes is also a current board member. She was appointed to the board in 2019, and she works as an attorney in Orland Park. She has previously served on the economic development committee for the Village of Frankfort.

Kosteck is the current board president, and also works as an attorney. In his questionnaire, he cited the most pressing issue for the board as "the need to restructure existing bond debt."

"I continue with the same promises and platform since first seeking and winning election to this board. I wish to do my part to maintain and improve our academic excellence, promote fiscal accountability, and preserve the district's excellent reputation," he wrote.

Rempert has a Ph.D. in educational psychology, as well as a degree in social work.

In her questionnaire, she wrote that the most pressing issue for the board is helping students after the COVID-19 shutdowns.

" I am running independently, as a volunteer mom who serves hot lunch and works the concession stand, to use my expertise to help the district rebound, rebuild, and assure resilience for our academic and extra-curricular programs to support the development of our students," she wrote.

Summit Hill District 161 Board of Education

There are eight candidates running for four open positions on the board of education:

• John Wade
• Katie Campbell
• James Martin
• Joy Murphy
• Stefanie McCleish
• Richard Ward
• Amy Berk
• John Lettiere

Murphy and Martin are current board members. Wade, Campbell, Martin and Murphy are running as Unified, Candidates for Summit Hill 161. On the group's Facebook page, they state, "If you're tired of the negative our district receives as a result of the behavior of a few, then we are your candidates."

McCleish is a teacher, and believes the pandemic remains the most pressing issue for the district, as well as the search for a new superintendent.

Ward is an engineer, and was a previous member of the board. He believes the most pressing issue facing the district is teaching the children.

Berk is a teacher, and believes the pandemic is also the most pressing issue facing the district, followed by student growth.

Lettiere is also a teacher, and believes the "downward trend in student achievement data," is the most pressing issue facing the board.

Polling places in Mokena are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day on Tuesday. You can check to see if you are registered to vote by heading to the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

The law requires registered voters to keep their name and address current, and you will not be able to vote in the April consolidated election if you are not properly registered.

If you're a Will County voter, you can find lists of candidates on the Clerk's website.

Follow Along On Election Night

Mokena Patch will be covering local contested elections on April 6.

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