Milovich-Walters Holds On To Strong Lead Over McCarthy In PP Mayoral

PALOS PARK, IL — Nicole Milovich-Walters has finished the evening with 834 votes over Ronette Leal McCarthy's 705. All The two have been embroiled in a heated battle for the mayor’s seat, held for 16 years by John Mahoney.

Provisional ballots and late arriving vote-by-mail ballots have yet to be counted. Early voting and vote-by-mail ballots are included in Tuesday's totals., according to the Cook County Clerk's Office. All results are unofficial.

Milovich-Walters took the lead early after the polls closed ahead of McCarthy, capturing 54.19% of the vote. McCarthy finished at 45.81%.

With polls closed, here's where vote totals stand:

• Nicole Milovich-Walters - 834
• Ronette Leal McCarthy - 705

9 f 9 precincts reporting

McCarthy trailed by 129 votes at the end of the evening, but provisional and late arriving mail-in ballots yet to be counted, Milovich-Walters was far from declaring victory.

"I'm not one to count my chickens before they've hatched," Milovich-Walters told Patch. "I just want to thank my family, my friends, my neighbors, and the residents for supporting me."

Milovich-Walters is an attorney, with a family law practice that she runs with her attorney husband, Todd Walters. She also owns a pre-employment screening agency. She was first appointed in 2003 to serve on the Palos Park Recreation Advisory Board. In 2007, she was appointed to fill a vacancy on the village council as the commissioner of public works and recreation, and was elected in the 2009 midterm. She’s been sitting on the village council ever since.

If elected mayor, Milovich-Walters says her main areas of focus for the town of 5,000 will be public safety, continued financial stewardship of the residents’ tax dollars, supporting the village’s senior population and inclusion of new residents.

Milovich-Walters has “extensive list of goals and objectives” for her first term if she is elected.

“Given my extensive experience as Commissioner, I know that all these things are possible because we have been doing them for years and succeeding,” Milovich-Walters said on her Patch candidate questionnaire.

“I believe in supporting and investing in our police department by providing competitive salaries while supplying necessary equipment and mandated additional training. I will continue to invest in our road and bond program," Milovich-Walters continued. "I will be an advocate with Cook County and Illinois Department of Transportation to ensure roadway maintenance for our State and County roads is provided. I will continue to grow our recreation department offerings and expand our small-town community events and work with other area recreation departments and McCord, Palos Fine Arts and the Center Farm to build opportunities for our residents. I will continue to be a fiscally responsible steward of the Village financial resources, as I have for the past 16 years. Additionally, I will continue to lobby aggressively in Springfield for programs and policies beneficial to Village residents. I will continue to support the Arts in our community through our support of McCord Palos Fine Arts and the Village Players as well as our local schools as I did when my children attended the Palos public schools. I will expand our methods of reaching residents with information about Village events and meetings, not only electronically but also through more personal engagement to better reach all residents.”

Ronette Leal McCarthy, also an attorney, counts safety, community collaboration, transparency, and creating new revenues through private and public funding to address Palos Park’s “fiscal constraints.”

“My experience as a municipal attorney put me front and center amongst many communities throughout the tri-county area,” McCarthy said in her Patch candidate questionnaire. “This experience provides me with a greater amount of insight, knowledge, and experience as I’ve been witness to successes, challenges, and forward thinking outside of the Village of Palos Park. Often, successes come from the outside. Fresh perspectives lead to fresh ideas.”

Check back throughout the evening for live updates.