Mayoral races in Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles were not a clean sweep for incumbents, per unofficial election results, but the apparent winners in all three contests are all familiar names in the area.
In Batavia, Jeff Schielke appears to have retained his seat as mayor for a 12th term, according to unofficial results from the Kane County Clerk’s Office from Tuesday’s election. Likewise, in Geneva, voters appear to have voted for Kevin Burns for a seventh term as mayor.
However, in nearby St. Charles, first-term Mayor Lora Vitek appears to have been ousted by former Kane County Chief Judge Clint Hull, based on unofficial results from Kane and DuPage counties.
For the Batavia race, the longtime mayor has come out so far with 53.03% of the votes as of Friday afternoon, according to unofficial election results from the Kane County Clerk’s Office. Challenger Thomas Connelly came out with 46.97% of the vote as of Friday afternoon. Turnout for the race was 27.67% of the city’s registered voters, according to unofficial election results.
On Friday, Schielke told The Beacon-News that this coming term is shaping up to be “very challenging” given changes and uncertainty about funding decisions coming down from Washington, D.C., and Springfield. As a result, he plans to focus on projects that can be completed with primarily local dollars, such as rebuilding the riverbanks in downtown Batavia.
He also previously told The Beacon-News that his priorities for another term include preventing cyber crime, working to lower traffic crashes downtown, increasing the number of housing units available in Batavia and improving public safety services.
Schielke said he’s unsure whether he will seek a 13th term four years from now.
Connelly previously told The Beacon-News his priorities were to fill empty spaces and increase developments in downtown Batavia, improve pedestrian safety and preserve the health of the Fox River related to proposals to remove dams along the river.
In Geneva, incumbent Kevin Burns took away 51.44% of the votes per unofficial election results, while first-time mayoral candidate Karsten Pawlik was at 48.56% as of Friday afternoon – with turnout exceeding 37% of registered voters in the city.
Burns did not return The Beacon-News’ requests for comment. He previously said voters are concerned about the financial health of the city, and that he plans to prioritize overseeing the city’s 2030 strategic plan, encouraging development and economic well-being and ensuring safety in the city.
Pawlik previously told The Beacon-News that property taxes were a major concern for the city’s voters. He said he would prioritize filling empty storefronts downtown, working on city infrastructure projects and making efforts to “right-size” the number of government officials employed by the city.
Incumbents seem to have prevailed in those two cities. But in St. Charles, current Mayor Lora Vitek appears to have been ousted, per unofficial election results from Kane and DuPage counties.
As of Friday, unofficial results from Kane County show Vitek with 41.86% of the votes. Challenger Clint Hull had gotten 58.14% of the votes, with more than 36% of voters in the city turning out for the election. Hull also appears to have won the small portion of the city that sits in DuPage County.
Vitek did not respond to The Beacon News’ requests for comment. Previously, she cited concerns about the removal of the dam on the Fox River in St. Charles, growth in the city and concerns about taxes as key issues the city is facing. She said her goals for a second term included improving the city’s walkability, the Fox Haven Square development near the Charlestowne Mall and developing the old police department site.
Hull previously worked as the chief judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit in Kane County, telling The Beacon-News on Thursday that he retired last August with the intention of running for mayor in St. Charles.
He thinks his roots in St. Charles factored into trust in his abilities.
“I’ve been here my entire life,” Hull said over the phone on Thursday. “It doesn’t mean that just because you’ve been here your entire life … but I think that people understood the energy and the love that I have for this city.”
Hull also said he thinks that his “leadership experience and the way that (he’s) been able to build teams and be a part of teams – as the chief judge, as the first assistant state’s attorney to (the) Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, as the president of the St. Charles park board” factored into voters’ support.
He said his top priority going forward is building a team among local officials to address major issues the city is facing – like redeveloping the Charlestowne Mall and the old police station site, the future of the Fox River dam in St. Charles and whether to continue the city’s Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, or IMEA, contract.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
