Burke Wins Second Term By A Landslide

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Kelly Burke has won a second term with 85 percent of the vote over her challenger, William Lorenz, in the Evergreen Park mayoral race.

Burke led the Good Government Party slate, capturing 2,753 votes, while Lorenz, who headed the EP Community ticket, garnered 504 votes.

Lorenz is the village’s former public works director, who was dogged by social media rumors that he had been fired from the village. Lorenz has denied the accusations.

Burke is seeking her second term as mayor for the Village of Evergreen Park.

Results:

Kelly Burke (incumbent) - 2,753 (84.73%)

William Lorenz - 504 (15.47%)

12 of 12 precincts reporting

Burke was hand-picked by former four-term Mayor James Sexton to run for the mayoral seat when he announced his retirement in late 2020. Burke is already known to residents as the Illinois State House Representative for the 36th District. She served concurrently in her role as a state lawmaker and mayor after winning the 2021 mayoral election. Last year, she announced she would not be seeking another term in the Illinois State House.

Lorenz is leading the EP Community party of candidates that also includes Ryan Reitz and Teri Daley, looking to unseat the incumbent trustees. According to Lorenz’s Patch candidate survey, he was appointed for 27 consecutive years by the mayor to serve as the village’s public works director. He also has state certifications as a plumbing inspector, a water plant operator and firefighter.

Throughout his campaign, Lorenz was dogged by social media postings, some of them anonymous, that he was fired from his village gig as the public works director. According to a campaign spokesperson, Burke did not reappoint Lorenz in 2024, as is the mayor’s prerogative. He was in the process of offering his assistance to help transition the new person. A loud argument with a subordinate before Lorenz was to leave resulted in him being placed on paid administrative leave until his retirement took effect four days later.

According to Lorenz, the current mayor has not addressed issues regarding street rehabilitation, traffic safety, trash and rodent infestations and has not taken steps to ensure EP is prioritizing energy-efficient and cost saving initiatives.

“These are all issues I plan to take on immediately and ensure that EP not only runs effectively and safely but is investing in technology and developments that will yield cost-savings for our community and taxpayers,” Lorenz said.

Lorenz also counted continued community development as a priority. As public works director, Lorenz stated that he oversaw key developments in Evergreen Park, including the Community Center, James J. Sexton Park, the Urban Barn and multiple shopping centers.

“I know how important it is to attract quality businesses and to develop and invest in our public spaces, including parks and community centers,” Lorenz said. “I also intend to focus on improving our Lead Service Line Replacement program to reduce the cost and make it more accessible to our residents by eliminating the current upfront cost of $2,000.”

Burke is a 32-year resident of Evergreen Park and has been an attorney since 1992. She has received the endorsements of labor organizations, including the Chicago Federation of Labor, IBEW Local 134, IUOE Local 399, IUOE Local 150 and Teamsters Local 700, according to Burke’s Patch candidate survey.

“The Teamsters represent the rank and file members of the Village’s Public Works Department; they are well acquainted with the other candidate in this race and have chosen to put their support behind me,” Burke said of her challenger.

She claimed a solid economic development record in her first term, including bringing many new businesses — large and small — to Evergreen Park. She named off Subaru, Macy’s, J Crew, Core Sport, The Record Shop on 95th, Spoke and Vine Wine Bar, Club Pilates, Chipotle, Party Blossom Boutique, “plus several in the works.”

Burke also created a resident-led Economic Development Advisory Group. Based on a survey in which residents voiced the kind of businesses they wanted in the village, Burke said they used residents’ feedback to recruit those kinds of business to the village. She claims village sales tax revenues have risen notably during her first term.

She also extolled the public safety enhancements made in the village over the past four years. These include such enhancements as a new, state-of-the-art ambulance, body cameras and license plate readers for police officers, solar speed signs near schools and parks. The village also purchased two additional moveable speed wagons to monitor speeds at various locations, in addition to seeking out grant funding for additional traffic enforcement efforts, and the roll-out of the #slowdownEP public safety campaign.