Politics & Government

Braun, Spinney, Kates Elected to Winnetka Village Board

Jessica Tucker was also reelected to serve another term as village president.

Jennifer Spinney, Arthur Braun and Richard Kates were elected to the Winnetka Village Board on Tuesday night. Village President Jessica Tucker, who ran unopposed, was elected to a second term.

was not elected to serve a second term on the board. She had 1,129 votes -- 268 less than Richard Kates, who had the third most votes. A campaign by the Winnetka Home Owners Association supported the three other candidates and

"It was my privilege to serve Winnetka. I am proud to have been useful to this wonderful village," Linda Pedian said in an email Tuesday night.

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

, won re-election with 1,808 votes, or 29 percent of the vote. After she was not slated by the Winnetka Caucus last year, Spinney filed to run as an independent candidate. Kates challenged her candidacy, arguing that signatures on her nominating petitions were invalid because some were not from registered voters and others did not match up with voter registration records. After a review by the Cook County Clerk's Office, a local hearing, and district and appellate court hearings, Spinney remained on the ballot. Kates then filed for the Illinois Supreme Court to hear his case, but later withdrew the petition.

Spinney did not immediately return phone calls requesting comment Tuesday night.

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

, had 1,397 votes -- about 22 percent. As he drove to the polls this morning, Kates said he was reminded of a reason why he wants to be a village trustee.

"I'm driving to the voting booth down Hibbard that was done not too long ago, and as I'm driving there, I'm seeing that there are some problems with it, and I thought to myself, 'that's one of the reasons why I'm running'," Kates said.

Beyond maintaining Winnetka's roads, Kates said he looks forward to contributing to the village as a trustee.

"I hope I can add some depth to some issues, I hope I can bring some issues to the table, and I look forward to doing it and I appreciate the vote from the residents," Kates said.

led the race with 1,875 votes, about 30 percent.

"I'm was very honored to have been elected and I want to thank the residents who voted for me and for putting their trust in me that I will do everything in my power to serve the community," Braun said.

Braun, who has never run for office before, said he went to cast his ballot with his wife Tuesday morning.

"It's a very strange feeling to vote for yourself," he said. "I've never done it before, but my wife was with me and that helped quite a bit."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here