Election

Wojnicki praises team effort for lead in Campton Hills president race

‘We fell together as though we’d worked together for years and years’

Election 2024
(Left to right) Campton Hills trustee candidates Nicolas Boatner and Janet Burson, village president candidate Barbara Wojnicki and trustee candidate Timothy Morgan celebrate early returns in the Consolidated Election on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

CAMPTON HILLS – With the lead in the Campton Hills race for village president, Barbara Wojnicki said it was not just her apparent win, but a team effort with three newcomers.

Unofficial results April 5 had Wojnicki in the lead with 1,351 votes to incumbent Michael Tyrrell’s 690. Three of the five challengers for village trustee, Nicolas Boatner, Janet Burson and Timothy Morgan, also were leading incumbents Charles Cappell, Sue George and Wendy White Eagle, according to unofficial results.

“I will say that the team members – we all ran together – the three for trustees. None of us knew each other. I had never met them before,” Wojnicki said. “But once we got together and started doing our campaign ideas and putting them together, everybody had a new idea and were so excited to be working together. We fell together as though we’d worked together for years and years.”

Wojnicki said she was not sure if this was a first in Kane County election history, that a new village president and three trustees would sweep incumbents out on a nearly 2-1 vote margin.

Boatner led with 1,183 votes, Burson had 1,137 and Morgan received 1,121 in unofficial results.

George had 775 votes, Cappell had 634 and White Eagle received 627 in unofficial results.

Two other newcomers – Michael Warick and Rob Klinkey – received 204 and 143 votes, respectively, in unofficial results.

Tyrrell said his administration would cooperate fully with transition and information about challenges ahead.

“I am proud of our accomplishments in the village,” Tyrrell said. “It takes a great team and a great number of citizens to volunteer and the police chief and administrator. My advice will be that they take caution in making changes too soon or too radically.”

Tyrrell said he has been involved for 35 years and will continue to be available to serve.

Tyrrell said he was a trustee for four years before he was elected president, served on the cemetery board and an environmental group.

“We worked very hard to keep Campton Township and Campton Hills semi-rural and keep the character of the community,” Tyrrell said. “My heart has been here since 1989 and it is very near and dear to that issue of keeping our character the way it is.”

Tracy Johnson, who ran unopposed as village clerk, received 1,658 votes in unofficial results.

Official results will not be available until after all the mail-in ballots are received and votes are canvassed in about two weeks.

Tyrrell said the swearing in of the newly elected officials likely would be at the May 2 meeting.