Summit incumbent trustees swept from office
Independents win 3 seats on village board
By Bob Bong and Carol McGowan
There will be a big change on the next Summit Village Board when three independent candidates take office in May.
According to complete but unofficial results, Sonia Ponce, Aurora Rodriguez, and Lorena Manriquez easily beat the Village Party slate of Aleco Julius, Art Sullivan and the late Karen Wasko.
Sonia Ponce
Ponce led the challengers with 519 votes, Rodriguez had 429 votes and Manriquez tallied 406. Julius polled 354 votes, Sullivan garnered 351 votes, and Wasko, who died in a car crash on St. Patrick’s Day, received 282 votes. Turnout was 17.4 percent.
The challengers had been endorsed by incumbent Trustee Mayra “Camacho” Ortiz, who broke with the Village Party ahead of this election.
“This was a big success, not for us personally, but the Village of Summit,” said Ponce. “We were able to engage a lot of new voters, and remind them of the power of their votes. I’m also very blessed to have worked with two very strong women with the same determination and goal as mine, and who made the journey a lot easier for me. We did this all with the support of our husbands, family, and the entire community. We are ready for the next step.”
“I’m excited to represent our community and re-engage our residents for a positive experience and trust,” Manriquez said. “I’m honored and privileged to have received so much support from our community, and I’m ready to go to work.”
“I’m very humbled that the people of summit came out and supported us,” said Rodriguez. “I thank everybody that was behind us. It’s a great feeling for a lot of work that was put in and people responded very well to us. We are grateful for this victory.”
Aurora Rodriguez
Mayor Sergio Rodriguez, the leader of the Village Party, said, “I want to thank everyone for all of their hard work. Aleco, Karen (Wasko) and I started together eight years ago. We wouldn’t have seen the progress we have without them. I will continue to do the work I have done, and I will always be for Summit. I will continue to move the village forward, and always be grateful for the work our now angel Trustee Karen (Wasko) has done for us, along with Trustee Julius and Trustee Sullivan. We may have lost now, but we will come back stronger.”
“We will see how things work out with the new trustees coming in and what they can contribute,” said Sullivan.
Julius declined to comment.
in other races in the village:
Dallis Anderson Jr. and Rodolfo Santoyo ran unopposed for two six-year terms on the Summit Park District board.
Mirian Cruz, Erica Munoz and Avzi Dardovski were unopposed for three four-year terms on the Summit Public Library District board.
Lorena Manriquez
2 Comments
Local News
Kurinec takes reins as Indian Head Park police chief
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Michael Kurinec is the new Chief of Police in Indian Head Park. He recently moved into the position when Steven Stelter accepted the Chief of Police Position in Forest View. Kurinec isn’t new to the village as he was the first officer hired by the newly formed Indian Head Park…
Batter Up: Richards and Stagg show resilience in baseball’s opening week
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer If the infancy of the high school baseball season has proved anything, it’s that Stagg and Richards are two resilient teams. Just when they look down and out … Let’s look at Richards first. The Bulldogs opened the season on March 14 with a 4-0, five-inning road loss…
Area Sports Roundup: South Suburban College wins national title
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer Now for some March Madness that was not as heavily publicized over the weekend … Area athletes participated in three national championship basketball games on Saturday, and a couple of them can lay claim to being national champs. St. Rita grad Cameron Bartmann and Catalyst Maria alum Jonathan…
Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars seek title after back-to-back runner-up finishes
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer It’s an obvious goal. Win it all. The Chicago Red Stars, who make their 2022 home debut in the Challenge Cup at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Kansas City at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, finished runner-up in each of the past two NWSL seasons in 2019 and 2021. There…
Serbian Orthodox Church in Brookfield buys St. Hugh in Lyons
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch St. Hugh Roman Catholic Church in Lyons, closed by the Archdiocese of Chicago in June 2021, will again be a house of worship. St. Nikola Serbian Orthodox Church, based in Brookfield, purchased the property on March 10. Father Nemanja Tesic, 38, who leads the estimated 500-member congregation, hopes to have…
Archer Avenue goes green for a day
Spread the loveThe Southwest Side Irish (as well as many more “Irish for a day” friends and neighbors) flooded Archer Avenue with good cheer earlier this month, at the Midway area’s only St. Patrick’s Day parade. Hosted by the Clear-Ridge Men’s Social Athletic Club and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, the Chicago Working…
Former Palos Hills judge arrested in Florida prostitution sting
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A former Cook County judge from Palos Hills was among more than 100 people arrested during a weeklong undercover human trafficking sting in Polk County, Florida. Officials said Daniel Peters, 66, was picked up as part of Operation March Sadness 2, which began March 8. Detectives said Peters told them…
Hills Chamber to bring back Business and Community Expo on Saturday
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Hills Chamber of Commerce will once again host the Business and Community Expo from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at Conrady Junior High School, 7950 W. 97th St., Hickory Hills. The expo returns after a two-year absence due to the pandemic. Over 50 exhibitors are scheduled to take part in the expo. Local businesses,…
Lake Katherine goes green for St. Patrick’s Day
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The Chicago River wasn’t the only body of water to take on a shade of green this St. Patrick’s Day. To celebrate the annual day of the Irish, Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens, 7402 W. Lake Katherine Dr., Palos Height, created a little holiday magic as volunteers and…
Palos Park police warn drivers to stay safe on St. Patrick’s Day
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Help us to keep Palos Park’s roads the safest in the nation by planning ahead to stay safe on March 17. Palos Park police are encouraging folks to plan ahead for a safe ride home and urge everyone to have a plan this St. Patrick’s Day. If you plan on…
Neighbors
Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on Friday – at least for now –…
‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com LINCOLN – On the eve of a scheduled vote to advise Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on plans to close and rebuild a pair of dilapidated state prisons, hundreds filed into a junior high school gymnasium Thursday evening clad in matching green T-shirts. Printed on the shirts was a…
Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…
Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…
Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an…
Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Jimmy Soto spent more than 42 years wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. In 2020, he was moved to the “F-House” at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, a condemned unit, not because he was being punished, but because it was where the facility was housing individuals…
Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A Sangamon County judge on Wednesday blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot. The move doesn’t void the bill in its entirety,…
“No Schoolers”: How Illinois’ hands-off approach to homeschooling leaves children at risk
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & MOLLY PARKER CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS investigations@capitolnewsillinois.com This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. It was on L.J.’s 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided…
Brushing off concerns of overspending, Pritzker signs $53.1 billion state budget
By ANDREW ADAMS JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. The signing caps months of work – and tension – among top Democratic leaders in Springfield and within the…
Stalled bills: ‘Dignity in Pay Act,’ Prisoner Review Board changes fail to move
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938…
This was many months of personal door knocking, meet and greets, phone banking and fundraising, all to give the community a chance to hear our hopes and dreams for Summit. With the best intentions we fought our way and earned every single vote we received. It was a long and hard journey but like they say, everything worthwhile in life is never easy. We will work hard to serve the community, Summit we heard you and your concerns and are now ready to work. Thank you for giving us a chance. Gracias Summit por esta oportunidad!
Congratulations on your new life in the village of Summit trustee’s. I hope you do a wonderful job and in the future of the world.