McLean County voters head to the polls Tuesday, and for many it will be the first time at the ballot box since the election of Donald Trump.
This time, they’ll be electing new mayors, aldermen and council members, school board officials, and more. Here are five storylines that we’re watching in the GLT newsroom on Election Day.
Can Kevin Lower Build a Winning Conservative Coalition?
Incumbent Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner, a college professor, faces Ward 1 Alderman Kevin Lower, a pilot and auto salesman, in Tuesday’s election.
Renner won February’s five-way mayoral primary with 48 percent of the vote. Lower and the two other conservative primary candidates together earned 43 percent. Will the higher turnout expected in Tuesday’s vote (compared with the primary) help Lower … or his opponent?
Lower’s campaign organization didn’t appear all that robust during the primary, but it has matured in the weeks since. Can he turn the corner and defeat an incumbent mayor—historically no easy feat in Bloomington-Normal—who’s been endorsed by the McLean County of Commerce?
Is Chris Koos Vulnerable After the Metro Zone Dispute?
Incumbent Normal Mayor Chris Koos, a small-business owner now in his third term, faces an aggressive challenger in Marc Tiritilli, a teacher at Bloomington High School. Tiritilli has positioned himself as a fiscal conservative focused on what he sees as high taxes and town debt.
Koos’ track record—notably the redevelopment of Uptown Normal and raising the town’s national profile—has added a few blemishes recently. The Town of Normal engaged in a very public dispute with the City of Bloomington over the Metro Zone tax-sharing agreement, and Tiritilli recently claimed victory after successfully pushing for changes to public comment rules at council meetings. The town also made headlines in March when a water main break and subsequent boil order inconvenienced residents and businesses for almost two full days.
Will Tiritilli be able to seize on those episodes and defeat Koos?
All Eyes on Normal Township … Wait, What?
The election of Trump has sparked political activism across the U.S. Locally, it’s one of the factors that’s led to an unusually interesting contested race for several Normal Township posts.
Republican Cheryl Gaines, currently a Normal Town Council member, is running for Normal Township supervisor against Democrat Sarah Grammer. There are full slates of Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians running for township clerk and trustees positions as well. (In previous election cycles, it’s often difficult to even fill the seats on the township board of trustees.)
Shocked after Trump’s election, local progressives appear galvanized and hopeful for a win in Normal Township, which hasn’t been led by a Democrat in decades.
More Diversity on the Councils?
The Bloomington and Normal councils could see a noteworthy increase in the diversity of their members depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s election.
Chemberly Cummings, one of four candidates vying for four Normal Town Council seats, would be the council’s only African-American member if elected. Sheheryar Muftee would add a Muslim to the Bloomington City Council if elected to the open Ward 9 seat on the city’s east side. Also running in Bloomington are two Latinos, Greg Rodriguez (Ward 9) and Lupe Diaz (Ward 5). Also running in Ward 9 is Kimberly Bray.
Other candidates seeking the council in Bloomington include Ward 3 incumbent Mboka Mwilambwe, challenged by Gary Lambert, Bob Clay and J. Balmer, Ward 5 incumbent Joni Painter and Sue Feldkamp and Jamie Mathy, who hope to succeed Lower in Ward 1. The other town of Normal challenger is Ron Ulmer, who faces Cummings and incumbents Kevin McCarthy and Scott Preston.
Will Voters Actually Turn Out?
Except for those who cast ballots in the Bloomington mayoral primary, this will be most voters’ first time at their polling place since Trump’s upset victory in November. What effect will that have on turnout?
Will more contested races, like the no-longer-an-afterthought races in Normal Township, lead to higher turnout across McLean County? Even if it does, turnout is still expected to stay in the 20-25 percent range, according to local election officials. Who will that favor—the establishment or insurgent candidates?
GLT Election Night Coverage Get the latest election results Tuesday night on WGLT.org, on Twitter (@WGLTNews), or on-air at 89.1/103.5 FM. Our reporters will be at campaign watch parties around Bloomington-Normal. Join the conservation with the hashtag #GLTVote.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 10:51 A.M. April 4 to include other candidates in contested council races.
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