Will County Gazette

The Will County Clerk’s Office said the Republicans will hold on to their majority control over the Will County Board.

The final tally from last month’s elections shows the Republicans outnumbering the Democrats 16 to 10 on the board.

With all votes from all 300 precincts having been turned in and counted, only District 10 -- which includes parts of Joliet, Shorewood and Plainfield -- saw any partisan shift. District 10 saw two longtime Democratic board members, Joseph Babich and Steven Wilhelmi,  choose not to run for reelection. Democrat Tyler Marcum and Republican Gloria Dollinger were elected to replace them.

Two representatives were elected from each district to serve on each county’s board. Democrat Robert Howard of District 1 was the only incumbent to lose to a challenger -- Democrat Laurie Summers, who received 11,121 votes, by far the most in the district. Incumbent Judy Ogalla retained her seat, with 9,249 votes. Howard finished third in the district, with 7,010 votes.

Districts 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 12 saw no change in its representatives, with both incumbents in each district retaining their seats. In District 3, Democrats Beth Rice, with 11,292 votes, and Donald Moran, with 6,973 votes, retained their seats. District 4 saw both Democratic incumbents -- Jacqueline Traynere, with 11,382 votes, and Kenneth Harris, with 7,050 votes -- win reelection. District 6 Republican incumbents Don Gould, with 14,871 votes, and Ragan Freitag, with 11,567 votes, retained their seats. District 7 also had two Republican incumbents win, with Steve Balich, 12,902 votes, and Mike Fricilone, 10,760 votes, retaining their seats. District 8 will see both Democratic incumbents return, with Herbert Brooks Jr., 9,353 votes, and Denise Winfrey, 7,487 votes, winning reelection.  District 12 will see the return of both of its Republican incumbents: Tom Weigel, with 15,065 votes, and Ray Tuminello, with 13,505 votes.

Along with District 10, which saw neither incumbent running for reelection, District 13 was the only other district to see a change in its representation. Incumbent Mark Ferry won reelection by earning 10,076 votes and will represent District 13 by newcomer Republican Tim Kraulidis, who will fill the second, vacated, seat after receiving 9,436 votes.

Newcomers to the Will County Board include Tyler Marcum and Gloria Dollinger, both from District 10, Laurie Summers in District 1 and Tim Kraulidis from District 13.

“Tyler Marcum is a fifth-generation Joliet-area resident and an alum of JTHS West Campus, where he was a three-sport athlete,” his Facebook page said. “Tyler graduated from Benedictine University, where he was a four-year NCAA athlete. Tyler graduated with a B.A. in political science and a minor in music. Tyler was elected to the Joliet Township High School (JTHS) Board in 2013. Tyler also serves on the Joliet Township Foundation Board and the JTHS Alumni Association. Tyler was also appointed to serve on the Young Adult Heroin Task Force by former Governor (Pat) Quinn. Tyler has been actively involved with the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life for the past 15 years. Tyler works as a multi-county liaison for homeless children and youth, assisting families and school districts across the northeastern portion of Illinois.”

Dollinger's website said she is running to represent her community.

“I want those voices to reflect the people who live here, work here and raise families here,” her website said. “Not everyone in this race can say that. I CAN. We want those voices to make responsible, mature decisions that improve the well-being of those in Will County. We want those voices to look at the decisions they make as opportunities of economic growth for the people who live and work here. Will County isn’t Springfield. It is not Washington, D.C. Will County does well when we work together and make decisions that are right for our community.”

Summers, a registered nurse at Addus Home Health, serves as the Feed Our Own program coordinator for eastern Will County. Feed Our Own provides low-income seniors with meals. She said District 1’s most crucial issue is truck traffic and that it needs an east-west route. She also said the Illiana tollway project is needed to eliminate traffic congestion.

Kraulidis' website said he ran “to ensure that our local government is accountable with our tax dollars, responsible in its spending and effective in its oversight. In addition, he wants to make sure that our community is protected from the encroachment of Chicago/Cook County politicians.”