Three Incumbents, newcomer claim victory in close Sangamon County village races
Three incumbents and a newcomer claimed victory in races for the president's position in Sangamon County villages on Tuesday.
Races were contested in the villages of Loami, Southern View, Grandview and Spaulding.
Trustee races were also contested in the village of Southern View and Spaulding. Four candidates ran for three positions in both villages.
Grandview
Incumbent Maria 'Mia' Ray claimed victory against challenger David Lester in the village of Grandview. Ray had 131 votes to Lester's 37.
Gary Nation, Diana Jarrett, and Leland Rhodes were elected as village trustees. Nation had 125 of the votes to Jarrett's 117, and Rhodes' 114.
More: Live election updates: Buscher unseats Langfelder as mayor of Springfield
Loami
Newcomer Steven Lambert defeated incumbent Al Mann by one vote in the village of Loami. Lambert had 84 votes while Mann had 83.
Lambert said his love for Loami and dependence on community feedback is what fueled his campaign. Mann won three consecutive four-year terms since being appointed as village president and served in the position for 15 years.
Mann's wife, Rose, was elected for village trustee alongside John Branson and Todd Lawson. Mann had 119 votes, Branson had 99, and Lawson had 92.
Southern View
In the village of Southern View Incumbent Mike Patche defeated Nora Petrosky 216 votes to 161.
Rebecca LaRussa, Thomas "Mike" Tavernor and Elizabeth "Betsy" Richbark, were elected as village trustees. LaRussa led with 224 votes while Tavernor had 218 and Richbark came away with one fewer at 217 votes.
Spaulding
Incumbent Dustin Brown retained his seat against challenger Michael Butler. Butler ran as a write in candidate.
Michael Muchow, Carrie Marcy, and her brother-in-law Darrell Marcy were elected as village trustees to serve a four-year term. Muchow won with 120 votes, Carrie Marcy with 78 and Darrell Marcy with 70.
Other Races
In other races incumbent Kris Theilen, Charles Hoogland II and Mary Aiello were elected as Springfield Park District board trustees for a four-year term. Aiello had 16,402 votes, Theilen had 14,370 and Hoogland had 12,358.
Incumbent Samantha Raymond won against challenger Sean Dickerson in the race for Lincoln Land Community College's District 1 board of trustee. Raymond had 3,840 votes to Dickerson's 3,117. Raymond will serve a six-year term.
In District 3 of the Lincoln Land Community College board of trustee race, Gordon Gates claimed victory against Melissa Hahn Mosely. Gates had 5,015 votes while Mosely had 5,006.
Incumbents Jason Loftus, Anthony Smarjesse, and Brad Mills claimed victory in Districts 3, 4 and 5 of the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority (SMEAA) board. Loftus won district 3 with 2,084 votes, Smarjesse won district 4 with 4,202 and Brad Mills took district 5 with 3,032.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Sangamon county village races 2023
