1 week Ago By Graydon Megan
Elmhurst voters chose a mix of familiar and new people to fill contested seats on both the City Council and the Elmhurst District 205 School Board, according to unofficial results from the April 1 election. Incumbent Mayor Scott Levin defeated longtime City Council member Mark Mulliner by a wide margin . Other contested city races included Ward 2, where incumbent Jacob Hill defeated challenger Kevin Kirby, drawing nearly 900 votes, or 68.
5% of the total, over Kirby’s 411 votes, or 31.5% of votes cast. Hill told Pioneer Press before the election if re-elected he wants to work on city planning, especially for major projects, including replacing the police station, renovating the Metra station and some major public works projects.
Before the election, Hill was one of few suggesting the police station replacement project could be delayed. In Ward 4, voters chose Mike Baker, a familiar name and face in community activities and organizations, over newcomer Bobby Fontana. Unofficial results show Baker with 993 votes, about 64% of the total, over Fontana, who drew 36% with 564 votes.
Baker said before the election his decision to enter the race came in part from rising water costs. “The water bill increase was quite a surprise to our community,” Baker said. “That made me think about running – and a feeling that I could make a difference.
I wanted to have the opportunity to have some input on issues.” In Ward 5, voters chose Dan Virgil, a newcomer to elected politics, over challenger Adam Park, whose wife Tina held the ward post for two terms before deciding not to run again. While Virgil is a newcomer to elective office, he is a familiar name and face in Elmhurst, best known for waging, with his wife Nicole, a long-running and eventually successful effort to get the city to allow temporary gardening structures known as hoop houses.
Virgil drew 58.6% of the vote — 834 votes, to Park’s 588 votes, or 41.4% of the total.
Virgil said his aim as an alderman will be to help solve problems and to make sure residents get full value for their tax dollars. Elmhurst District 205 Administrative Center, 162 S. York St.
, Elmhurst, is pictured in March, 2025. (Graydon Megan/Pioneer Press) In the five person race for three seats on the District 205 School Board, winners included incumbent board President Athena Arvanitis and newcomers Nicole “Nikki” Slowinski and Brian Bresnahan, each of whom drew about a quarter of the votes cast. They were trailed by John Bishof III and Tom Chavez, who drew 9% and 12%, respectively.
In her campaign, Arvanitis cited what she said were the past four years of “tremendous improvement” in the district and a desire to continue that path. Bresnahan cited his 20 years of experience working in education. Before the election, he talked about a top priority: improving student achievement by not only focusing on improving test scores, but also ensuring the district is preparing students for lifelong success.
“My experience in the classroom has shown me that while academic performance is important, we should also concentrate on prioritizing other predictors for success such as resilience, emotional intelligence and adaptability,” Bresnahan said. Slowinski said in a pre-election email she intends to work to see that students, parents, caretakers and staff are informed about the district resources and understand how to access and effectively use them. She wants the district to identify gaps and help to create solutions to support student readiness.
She said she would be a good steward of financial resources, ensuring maximum value for students, schools, and the Elmhurst community at large. Reported results are unofficial, pending a canvass of vote totals. Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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