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2022 Primary Election: Tight margins for some DeKalb County Board primary races

By Kelsey Rettke and Megann Horstead
Election 2024
Shell DeYoung Dunn, candidate for County Board District 11, and her son Nik Stromberg, from Somonauk, try to find election numbers on their phones Tuesday, June 28, 2022, during a Democrat candidate watch party at Fatty's Pub and Grille in DeKalb.

Shell DeYoung Dunn, candidate for County Board District 11, and her son Nik Stromberg, from Somonauk, try to find election numbers on their phones Tuesday, June 28, 2022, during a Democrat candidate watch party at Fatty's Pub and Grille in DeKalb. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

Voters cast ballots for contested races DeKalb County Board’s 12 districts during Tuesday’s Primary Election.

All 24 seats of the DeKalb County Board are up for election during this year’s elections.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and results trickled in Tuesday night, however, the tallies will not include any of the expected 700 mail-in ballots outstanding and yet to be counted, according to the DeKalb County Clerk & Recorder’s Office. Results won’t be certified for two weeks after the election.

DeKalb County is divided into 12 districts based on population. Two members are elected from each district.

Districts 1, 4, 8 and 11 included more than two candidates. Voters chose two candidates per district to make up the county board’s 24 seats, and could choose two from the same party if they desired.

As of 11 p.m. with all 65 precincts reporting, District 1′s Republican primary shows incumbent Maureen Little leading the way with 487 votes, followed by 463 votes for Bradley Robert Belanger and incumbent Lawrence Mark West with 331, the fewest Republican votes, according to unofficial results. Democrat Frederick (Fred) Hall received 308 votes.

District 1 includes Franklin Township, Kingston, South Grove, Mayfield and Malta Townships.

In District 4, a virtual tie shows a candidate difference of just nine votes in the Democrat primary, with 482 votes for Brett Johansen and 473 votes for Stewart Ogilvie, both newcomers. Republican Laurie Emmer, also an incumbent, received 781 votes.

District 4 is a portion of Sycamore Township that is mostly south of Route 64 and a portion of Cortland Township north of Bethany Road.

In a crowded District 8 race, votes in the Republican primary with two incumbents also remain tight: Dianne Leifheit received 281 votes, while William “Bill” Cummings received 252 votes. In the District’s Democratic primary, incumbent Michelle Pickett received 407 votes, to Chris Porterfield’s 333 votes.

District 8 is a northeast portion of DeKalb Township that is east of Glidden Road.

And in District 11, Democrat Shell (Celeste) DeYoung Dunn received 286 votes. In the districts Republican primary, incumbent Karen Cribben received 873 votes while incumbent Roy Plote received 825 votes.

District 11 includes all of Milan, Shabbona, Paw Paw, Victor, Clinton and Squaw Grove Townships, as well as Afton and Pierce Townships south of Perry Road, Somonauk Township west of Governor Beveridge Highway and north of Chicago Road and Sandwich Township north of Chicago Road.

Uncontested races

District 2 includes Genoa Township and a portion of Sycamore Township that is mostly north of Peace Road. Republican Kathy Lampkins received 554 votes, while fellow Republican Patrick Deutsch received 503 votes. Both are incumbents.

District 3 is a portion of Sycamore Township that is mostly south of Peace Road and north of Route 64. Republican incumbent Tim Bagby, running unopposed, received 816 votes.

District 5 includes a portion of Cortland Township south of Bethany Road and Route 64, a portion of DeKalb Township south of Fairview Drive and east of Peace Road, and north portions of Afton and Pierce Townships north of Perry Road. Democrat Benjamin Haier received 491 votes, while Republican Savannah Ilenikhena, both newcomers, received 656 votes.

District 6 is the northwest portion of DeKalb Township that is north of Lincoln Highway and west of Glidden Road. Democrat incumbent Rukisha Crawford, running unopposed, received 106 votes.

District 7 is the central portion of DeKalb Township that encompasses downtown DeKalb north of Lincoln Highway and west of First Street. Two Democrats, C. Scott Campbell received 241 votes, and Terri Mann-Lamb received 321 votes. Both are incumbents.

District 9 is a portion of DeKalb Township that is south of Sycamore Road, west of Peace Road and north of Fairview Drive. Democrat Ellingsworth Webb received 306 votes, and fellow Democrat Jim Luebke received 332 votes. Both are incumbents.

District 10 is the southwest portion of DeKalb Township that is north of Fairview Drive, south of Lincoln Highway and mostly west of State Route 23/Fourth Street. Mary Lee Cozad received 552 votes, while Craig S. Roman received 324 votes. Both are incumbent Democrats.

District 12 includes Somonauk Township east of Governor Beveridge Highway and Sandwich Township south of Chicago Road. Jerry Osland and John Frieders, both Republican incumbents, received 498 votes and 765 votes, respectively.

This story was updated at 11:30 p.m. June 28, 2022 with unofficial race results from the DeKalb County Clerk & Recorder’s Office.