With all the mail-in ballots presumably counted, candidate Dan Coyne has edged ahead of fellow incumbent and running mate Robert Bady and looks like the winner for the third open seat on the Ridgeville Park District Board.
Results posted on the Cook County election site show Mr. Coyne receiving 963 votes to 961 for Mr. Bady for another six-year term on the Board.
The Ridgeville Park District is a separate government unit from the City, overseeing parks in south Evanston.
Martha Gaines, returning to the board after a hiatus, was the top vote-getter with 1,120 votes or 27.89% of the 1,742 votes cast.
Newcomer Matthew Marley Mitchell, who was strongly backed by Mr. Coyne and Mr. Bady, finished second with 972 votes.
Mr. Coyne said April 15 that the results of the election are to be certified no later than April 23. Barring a challenge, he expects to be seated with the other newly elected commissioners at the next Ridgeville Park District Board meeting, scheduled for May 9.
About another term, Mr. Coyne said, “I feel encouraged by the community, there is now light. And if we can turn Ridgeville into a 21st Century Park District that is great.”
Should he finish ahead of Mr. Bady, with whom he joined on election night, “I’ll miss his insight on the Board,” Mr. Coyne said, “but I’m looking forward to his community engagement.”
Mr. Bady, who fell just short of toppling Alderman Ann Rainey in the 8th Ward aldermanic race in April 2017, said he was “glad that one of us got in.”
“Dan will keep the Board honest and accountable to all constituents, especially the underserved. Matt will bring a needed legal element that will serve in adopting solid policy going forward,” he said. “I hope now that the Board… will be inclusive and open and have vision that serves the broader community. There are a lot of eyes on Ridgeville now.”