Weigel, Pretzel Projected Winners Of Will County Board D12

NEW LENOX, IL — Results were last updated at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Tom Weigel and Frankie Pretzel are the projected winners of the Will County Board Member District 12 race.

Will County voters in the New Lenox and Mokena area voted for two candidates and Republican and incumbent Weigel and Republican Pretzel received the highest amount of votes over Democrats JoAnne Hamilton-Gunkel and Erin Moncek.

Patch.com will continue to tally results, and keep in mind, it may be weeks before we know for sure who has been picked.

A deluge of mail-in votes cast this election amid the coronavirus pandemic — many of which will not be counted tonight — makes this election unlike any in the past. Officials have two weeks post-election to count all provisional votes.

District 12 Board Member results:

100 percent of precincts reporting

• Weigel -15,814 votes
• Moncek - 9,557 votes
• Hamilton-Gunkel - 8,559 votes
• Pretzel - 17,581 votes

Tom Weigel

Weigel, 77, is currently serving as one of the Will County Board members for District 12 and has for 15 years. Weigel lives in New Lenox with his wife, Nancy, and is a retired environmental engineer.

He has previously served as a New Lenox Village Trustee. Weigel said the most pressing issue facing the county board is the "issue of congestion on our roads due to truck traffic."

Weigel said truck routes should be away from residential neighborhoods and "the Illiana Expressway should be built to relieve traffic from I-80 and I-55."

See Weigel's answers to the Patch candidate questionnaire here.

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JoAnne Hamilton-Gunkel

Hamilton-Gunkel, 65, lives in Mokena with her husband, Gary. She is a retired science teacher and has served on the Illinois Education Association Legislative Action Committee.

She believes the most pressing issue facing the county board is to "continue to provided needed services to all of the citizens of Will County, while keeping the county financially responsible."

"I believe it will be my duty to be fully informed of all the issues that impact our communities and district, and to act by doing what is best for the residents of Mokena and New Lenox," she said.

See Hamilton-Gunkel's answers to the Patch candidate questionnaire here.

Frankie Pretzel

Pretzel, 41, lives in New Lenox with his wife, Traci, and two young daughters. He has worked as a National Account Manager for 14 years.

Pretzel believes the most pressing issue facing the county board is keeping communities safe.

"I will work closely with the Will County Sheriff's department to ensure they have necessary funding, equipment, vehicles and training facilities to keep our communities safe," he said.

See Pretzel's answers to the Patch candidate questionnaire here.

Erin Moncek

According to Moncek's campaign website, she is a life-long resident of New Lenox. She is currently seeking a master's degree with the intent of teaching at the college level and works part-time at the Joliet Park District.

"Both of my children experienced health issues, and I had to learn how to advocate and fight on their behalf in order to get the answers and treatment needed. Now that they are thriving, I would like to advocate for my community," her campaign website states.

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