Incumbent Candidates Dominate April 1 Elmhurst Elections

Incumbent office seekers triumphed in elections held for the city of Elmhurst on April 1 — no joke. These elections included a mayoral race, contests for city clerk and city treasurer, and seats for all seven of Elmhurst’s wards.

Incumbent Mayor Scott M. Levin, an attorney at law, won re-election to a second term in a landslide, defeating conservative challenger Mark A. Mulliner, who served as an alderman for Ward 7 from 1999 to 2023. Mulliner previously ran for mayor from 2012 to 2013.

In the end, Levin secured just over 71% of the vote to Mulliner’s 28%. More than 9,300 ballots were cast in the race.

“I’ve proven through my track record that I’m the right person to be mayor,” Levin told friends and supporters after his victory. “I stood behind what I believe in, which is that we need a new police station and we can afford it and I’ve tried to run a campaign and run to serve as mayor by working for all the people in Elmhurst.”

In a Patch.com questionnaire, Levin identified “maintenance and improvements to our water and sewer system” as another pressing issue for the city. In the same questionnaire, Mulliner cited taxes and fees as a main concern, as well as emphasizing the need to maintain several business districts.

Other Elmhurst races were less competitive. Jackie Haddad-Tamer and Dan Curran ran unopposed for city clerk and city treasurer, respectively. Each candidate received more than 6,700 votes.

Elmhurst has 14 alderpeople, with each of its seven wards being represented by two alderpeople. This year, one seat for each ward was up for grabs, with the other seats being safe until 2027.

Jacob Hill won the race for Ward 2 with 68% of the vote, Mike Baker secured a seat for Ward 4 with 63% of the vote, and Daniel Virgil earned a Ward 5 seat with 59% of the vote.

Brian Belanger, Chris Jensen, Emily Bastedo, and Michael J. Brennan ran unopposed for Ward 1, Ward 3, Ward 6, and Ward 7, in that order.

The Elmhurst elections were held alongside more than 300 other DuPage County races. Outside of Illinois, two special elections were held for congressional seats in Florida, each being won by a Republican.

And in Wisconsin, Democratic-backed liberal candidate Susan Crawford defeated Republican-backed conservative opponent Brad Schimel for a seat on the Supreme Court, despite Schimel’s endorsements from President Donald Trump and fellow billionaire Elon Musk.

Additional information regarding election results for Elmhurst and the rest of DuPage County can be located at https://www.dupageresults.gov/IL/DuPage/123485/web.345435/#/summary.