From left: D65 candidates John Matthew Martin, Mya Wilkins, Sergio Hernandez and Ndona Muboyayi discuss their ideas at a forum on March 18. Omar Salem was not present. Credit: Duncan Agnew 
ETHS board candidates (from left) Monique Parsons, Leah Piekarz, Mirah Anti, Kristen Scotti and Elizabeth Rolewicz. Credit: Duncan Agnew
The incumbents standing for election in Evanston school board and City Council races were all victorious Tuesday night. Two newcomers, Leah Piekarz and Omar Salem, will also join the Evanston Township High School and District 65 school boards, respectively, after successful races.
Here are the complete vote totals tabulated by the Cook County Clerk’s Office.
Second Ward City Council seat
- Incumbent Krissie Harris, appointed by Mayor Daniel Biss to replace outgoing Council Member Peter Braithwaite last year, was the victor with 54% of the vote out of 1,296 total ballots cast. (A voter turnout of 20.84%.)
- Darlene Cannon, a longtime community advocate, finished second with 39% of the vote.
- Patricia Gregory, a District 65 teacher and Parks and Recreation Board representative, finished third with less than 6% of the vote.
Ninth Ward City Council seat
- Incumbent Juan Geracaris, also appointed last year by Mayor Daniel Biss to replace outgoing Council Member Cicely Fleming, won handily with 67% of the vote out of 1,322 total ballots cast. (A voter turnout of 23.03%.)
- Challenger Kathelyn “Kathy” Hayes lost to Geracaris after getting about 32% of the vote.
District 65 school board
Two incumbents and a newcomer were elected to the District 65 school board. (Incumbent Tracy Olasimbo, appointed to the board in September 2022, did not stand for election.)
- Newcomer Omar Salem, who works for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, led all candidates with more than 24% of the vote out of 9,961 ballots cast. (Turnout in the school board races was 17.16%.)
- Incumbent Mya Wilkins, who was appointed by the board in the fall of 2022, won a seat by finishing second with 22% of the vote
- Incumbent Sergio Hernandez, the current board president, took the third and final seat with 19% of the vote.
- Challenger John Matthew Martin narrowly missed out, finishing fourth with just under 19% – only 153 votes behind Hernandez.
- Challenger Ndona Muboyayi came in fifth, winning just under 15% of the vote.
ETHS District 202 board
Two incumbents and a newcomer also were elected in the contest for four-year board seats at District 202. (Incumbent Stephanie Teterycz dropped her bid for reelection in February.)
- Incumbent Monique Parsons, president and chief executive of the McGaw YMCA and the current board vice president, won another term after finishing with nearly 32% of all votes, good for first place by nearly 800 votes.
- Newcomer Leah Piekarz, a recently retired ETHS counselor, will take one of the other open seats after coming in second with 28% of the vote.
- Incumbent Elizabeth Rolewicz won the third and final four-year slot on the board with 21% of the vote.
- Challenger Kristen Scotti, a parent who ran on a platform advocating for more resources for students with disabilities, missed out on a board seat after winning 18% of the vote.
- Incumbent Mirah Anti will remain on the board after running as an unopposed write-in candidate for a two-year seat on the board. She needed to receive just one vote to stay on the board.
To review the RoundTable’s comprehensive coverage of the spring election, go here.