Wagner Keeps Moraine Board Seat; Cunningham Wins 2-Year Term (UPDATED)

Editor's Note: The vote difference between two candidates vying for the third full-term seat was updated below. Joseph Murphy and John Brosnan Donahue are now separated by 13 votes.

At least one incumbent will keep her seat on the Moraine Valley Board of Trustees.

With 281 of 286 precincts reporting, Eileen O'Sullivan, Sandra Wagner and Tom Cunningham were elected Tuesday night to the Moraine Valley Board of Trustees, according to unofficial results.

Read more: Moraine Valley: BOT Candidates Square Off in April

O'Sullivan and Wagner were elected to two full terms lasting six years. Joseph Murphy and John Brosnan Donahue are separated by 13 votes for a third full-term seat. Wagner and Murphy were board incumbents.

They faced John Schiera, Ricardo A. Fernandez, Eileen M. O'Sullivan and Gary D. Lewis.

The contest for the full-term seats drew a bit of controversy in March.

A . The call described four misdemeanor arrests, including 4 domestic battery charges, against Schiera. All four charges were dropped when witnesses failed to appear in court.

Those who received the call said the required "paid for by” portion was cut off before it could indicate who funded the message.

Cunningham beat out Joseph A. Skibinski and Andrea Ramirez-Justin for an unexpired 2-year term. He said he felt "honored and privileged" after Tuesday night's results.

Paying For School

One of Tuesday's winners sounded off on what could and should be done to help keep tuition costs low for students at the college in pre-election profiles. Here's what she had to say:

Sandra S. Wagner

The simplest answer to this question is for the State of Illinois to pay their portion of the funding for MVCC. Currently, the state pays 9% (down 6% since 2009), local taxes account for 31%, and tuition 57%. Ideally, each should pay one-third.

The burden should not continue to fall on the students and their families. Since it doesn't look like the state will come through soon, exploring additional funding sources and paying careful attention to all expenditures is crucial. The goal should remain, however, to maintain the excellent education and top-notch campus for which Moraine is known.