More Morgan & Western Sangamon County Races For April Elections Continue to Shape Up

By Benjamin Cox on December 28, 2020 at 2:03pm

More municipal and school board elections are taking shape in Morgan and Western Sangamon County.

Jacksonville School District 117 will lose one incumbent in April. Jan Ryan has decided to not run for another 4-year term on the board of education. Ryan will be replaced by newcomer Brenda Stewart, who filed for one of the 3 seats up for election last Monday. Incumbents Noel Beard and Teresa Wilson will retain their seats, as the board will be unopposed.

Waverly’s School Board has 4 candidates vying for 3 seats in April. Incumbent Jim Brown will run against newcomers David Carter, Makayla Fawcett, and Stefanie Ortman for the 3 open seats.

New Berlin’s School Board will look completely different, as no incumbents filed for the 3 seats up for election. Holly Kotner, Jenny Mann, Casey Binkley, Andrew Brashear, and David Bridges will all be newcomers when the next board is seated in 2021.

Franklin’s School Board has 4 running for 3 seats. Three incumbents: Curt Reznicek, Willie Smith, and Natalie Prince are being challenged by Amy Bowman.

The Triopia School Board will have ornerous task of appointing 2 members when they are seated in May next year. Incumbent Cindy Littleton was the only candidate to file for re-election in April.

The Pleasant Plains School District will look slightly different. Incumbents Brad Cowan and Tracy Reiser-Weiters will retain seats. However, Cayla Keyes, Megan Strohm, and Scott Flanigan will be new additions in April. All 3 will be running unopposed for the 3 seats up for election.

Two members of the South Jacksonville administration are not running for re-election in April. Current Village President Harry Jennings and Village Clerk Megan Moore will not seek to retain their seat. Village Trustee Dick Samples will square off against local attorney Tyson Manker for the Village President position. Krystin Hill, wife of current Village Trustee Jason Hill, will run unopposed for the Village Clerk position. With Samples stepping into the village president race, there will be 3 spots open on the village board. Incumbent Paula Belobradjic-Stewart and Jennings’ appointee Megan Werries will return and after losing for a previous term in office, Stacy Pinkerton will return to the village board in April.

More information about other municipal races in the area will be made available on January 28th, when the certification of ballots for the April election are due.

The only primary being held in the area will be in the City of Jacksonville in the 3-way race for mayor between long-time incumbent Andy Ezard taking on challengers Nicole Riley and Jason Stansfield with the consolidated primary on February 23rd. Early voting in the primary begins on January 14th.