Skokie Election Results 2021: Independent Candidate Poised To Win

SKOKIE, IL — Voters selected six candidates Tuesday to become Skokie village trustees for the next four years. Four of them will be newcomers — and one is poised to be the first independent candidate on the village board in more than a generation.

Five candidates for the village board had the endorsement of the Skokie Caucus Party, one candidate ran as an independent, and one candidate appeared on the ballot as a member of the party — although party officials last month withdrew their support over past social media posts.

Mayor George Van Dusen and Village Clerk Pramod Shah were uncontested in their bids for reelection.

Incumbents Ralph Klein and Edie Sue Sutker were slated by the Caucus Party for another term in office. The party also nominated Skokie Park Board Commissioner Khem Khoeun, Alison Pure-Slovin and Keith Robinson. Caucus Party officials initially nominated Billy Haido, although they later withdrew the endorsement.

James Johnson ran as an independent candidate in a long-shot effort to become the first non-Caucus Party candidate to win a seat on the village board in more than half a century.

According to unofficial results Tuesday night, Johnson held a lead of more than 500 votes over Haido in the race for the sixth and final spot on the board behind the five candidates who retained the party's endorsement.

Return to Patch for results as they come in. Subscribe for free news alerts for election results.

Related:
Competitive Races For Skokie Village Board, Park District
Two Outgoing Skokie Trustees Endorse Independent Candidate
'Sexist, Misogynistic' Posts Cause Caucus Party To Drop Candidate

Last month, local female elected officials formed a group to oppose the candidacy of Haido, who was recommended by a Skokie Caucus Party committee to be the first member of the village's Assyrian community to serve as trustee.

Citing Haido's since-deleted social media posts, the group launched a campaign against Haido, who described the posts as "sophomoric attempts at humor."

Following the party's withdrawal of support, a political committee formed to support Haido sent out a series of mailers targeting Johnson.

Johnson did not seek the Caucus Party's endorsement, although he was endorsed by a pair of outgoing village trustees, as well as State Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback.

Skokie Park District

There is a single contested seat on the Skokie Park District Board of Commissioners. Incumbent Michael Alter, seeking a third term on the board, faces challenges from three candidates: Julianna Oh, Mary Oshana and Regina Yonan.

Oshana had a lead of more than 440 votes, according to unofficial results from the clerk's office Tuesday night .

Stay Patched In!

• Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Skokie area news
• Check out the Events calendar for what's going on in Skokie
• Patch Mobile: Get app for iPhone and Android