4 Candidates To Contest 3 Open Seats On Wilmette Village Board

WILMETTE, IL — Four people declared their candidacies for three available seats on the Wilmette Village Board, setting up a contested election for village trustee next year.

One incumbent and three newcomers filed nominating petitions ahead of Monday's deadline for their submission, according to village staff.

John Kolleng, Stephen Leonard, Gerald “Gerry” Smith and first-term incumbent Trustee Gina Kennedy, are set to appear on the ballot in the April 4 municipal elections, barring a challenge to their paperwork.

Smith is the longtime chair of the Wilmette Human Relations Commission, Leonard was elected to the village board in 2017 before resigning in February 2018 and Kolleng served on the Zoning Board of Appeals until October 2020.

Two trustees will be departing the board in the spring.

Trustee Peter Barrow, who was elected to a two-year term in 2019, fell short of reelection in April 2021 by less than 200 votes. Last year's election of Village President Senta Plunkett created a vacancy on the board and she picked him to serve out of the rest of her term, but he decided against running for a new four-year term.

And Trustee Dan Sullivan, who spent nearly eight years on the Zoning Board of Appeals before joining the village board in 2015, is prohibited from seeking another term by village term limits.

In Kenilworth, there will be no contested municipal elections next year. Only one of the three trustees whose term expires is seeking reelection, according to village staff.

John A. Gottschall, Matthew Lojkovic and Trustee Tim Ransford face no challengers as they run for Kenilworth Village Board.

Kenilworth Library Board President David Johnson is running for reelection as a library trustee, while Lara Scarborough and Maria Yen are unopposed in their bids for seats being vacated by board Vice President Brian Beeler and Secretary Lori Roeser.