Northbrook Voters To Decide On Village, School Boards

NORTHBROOK, IL — Election Day is upon us. The polls in 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.

Northbrook voters will weigh in on a number of contested races including Village Board, board of education races.

NORTHBROOK VILLAGE BOARD

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

INCUMBENTS

Muriel J. Collison, 44, has served on the Northbrook Village Board since 2017.

"A few things I am most proud of, and played a significant role in accomplishing, during my time as a Trustee are:Adopting the Cook County Earned Sick Leave Ordinance. Opting out of the Cook County Minimum Wage Ordinance (my view was that it should be state-wide, especially given our location as a border community)," Collison said.

Daniel H. Pepoon, 64, was a member of the Northbrook Plan Commission for 15 years.

"There are several properties either owned by the Village, or in need of attention for positive change. Regarding Village properties, we are expected to receive the storm water report for the old Grainger Property Northbrook owns and therefore controls its destiny," Pepoon said. "We expect to establish project development objectives and a new zoning classification as we sell it for development."

CHALLENGERS

Robert Burns, 54, has worked in international trade compliance for 30 years.

"The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is bad leadership and this will be corrected when our team is voted in," Burns said. "The United for Northbrook (U4N) team is running for Village offices because the incumbent Board continues to make wrong decisions for the community and does not seek resident input. Northbrook needs a local focus with transparency and honesty."

Joy Ebhomielen is a finance professional with over 15 years experience that spans from commercial lending to corporate finance and strategy.

"The single most pressing issue in the near term issue is combating the Covid pandemic and its impact on our residents, schools and businesses," Ebhomielen said. "The Board made grants funds available, provided free masks and hand sanitizers early in the pandemic when these items were scarce."

Christopher Lay, 62, has been practicing law for the past 13 years.

"The single most pressing issue facing the Village Board is its current upside-down organizational chart. The current Board, comprised largely of incumbents who have never been challenged in an election, believes incorrectly that it sits at the top of the chart," Lay said. "They are wrong. Northbrook residents and voters occupy the top of the chart, and Board lies underneath them as the steward and representative of residents and their interests."

Ana Mendez McGuinnes, 51, has been backed by United4Northbrook in this election.

"We need to reset the board's priorities. Northbrook requires a board with a local focus. The Village Board needs to prioritize public safety and fiscal responsibility, which we can achieve through the support and development of local businesses looking for alternatives to incentivize growth," McGuinnes said. "Decisions should be made in a transparent fashion by listening to residents with an eye toward benefiting the community."

Current Trustee Kathryn L. Ciesla is running for Village President, leaving her seat up for grabs, with Sandra E. Frum set to retire. She will be challenged by Eugene Marks for president.

Ciesla, Collison, Ebhomielen and Pepoon have received the backing of the Northbrook Caucus of 2021. Burns, Lay, Marks and McGuinnes are being endorsed by United4Northbrook.

Village Clerk Debra Ford is running unopposed for a four-year term.

NORTHBROOK/GLENVIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT 30

Three candidates are vying for three four-year terms in an uncontested race for Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 Board of Education. Incumbents Keith Karchmar and Jeffrey Zuercher are joined by Stephanie Yohannan on the ballot.

GLENBROOK HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 225

For the Glenbrook High School District 225 Board of Education, 10 candidates are vying for four seats. Incumbents Bruce Doughty (current president and Northbrook resident), Peter Glowacki (vice president and Glenview resident) and Sonia Kim (Glenview) are running for reelection, while fellow board member Karen Stang Hanley is not seeking reelection. The seven challengers are Albert Herbst III (Northbrook), David Hochberg (Northbrook), Paul Kelly (Glenview), Matt O'Hara (Glenview), Mai Lin Noffke (Glenview), Carol Schmidt(Northbrook) and Michelle Seguin (Northbrook).

WEST NORTHFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT 31

Eight candidates are vying for four seats on the West Northfield School District 31 Board of Education. Incumbents Laura Sanchez-Greenberg (current vice president and Northbrook resident), Jeffrey Steres (Northbrook) are being challenged by Matthew Dalpin (Northbrook), Meredith Estes (Glenview), Robert Hammer (Northbrook), Nicholas Parfitt (Northrook), Allison Slade Rothstein (Northbrook) and Darrin Stern (Northbrook).

Current board members Robert Resis and Nancy Hammer are not seeking reelection.

NORTHBROOK SCHOOL DISTRICT 27

In an uncontested race, incumbent Martha Carlos is running for an unexpired two-year term on the Northbrook School District 27 Board of Education. In another uncontested race, incumbent Melissa Robin Copeland will be joined by Matthew R. Basinger, Gail Oren-Amit and Daniel J. Terrien in seeking four four-year seats on the board. Current board members Ed Feld, Laurie Garber-Amram and Helen Melnick are not seeking reelection.

NORTHBROOK SCHOOL DISTRICT 28

In an uncontested race for the Northbrook School District 28 Board of Education, incumbent Jennifer Gallinson is joined by DeShawn Clayton Arms, Matthew Cassidy and Shweta Jinkala on the ballot in seeking four four-year seats. Current board members Tony Forchetti, Michael Gilmore and Lou Gross are not seeking reelection.

NORTHBROOK PARK DISTRICT

Three candidates are running for three seats on the Northbrook Park District Board of Commissioners in an uncontested race. Incumbents Lisa Chalem (current vice president) and Michael Schyman will be joined on the ballot by Michael Goodman on the ballot. All three have been endorsed by the Northbrook Caucus.

Current board member Penelope Randel is not seeking reelection.

NORTHBROOK LIBRARY BOARD

In an uncontested race, incumbents Abby M. Young and Zhan "Jami" Xu are joined by Barbara Unikel on the ballot for a four-year seat on the Northbrook Library Board. Carlos Frum, current president, is not seeking reelection.

FINAL DAY OF EARLY VOTING

Through Monday, residents can still early vote at 51 sites in Suburban Cook County.In Northbrook, early voting is taking place at Northbrook Village Hall, 1225 Cedar Lane. Hours for early voting are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 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

DROP BOX LOCATIONS

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

REGISTER TO VOTE

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.

For more information on when voters need and don't need identification, visit the Cook County Clerk's Office here.

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.