Suburban Oak Park residents vote 'No' on defunding the police
OAK PARK - One suburb rejected a controversial policing proposal, as two other villages on Tuesday re-elected mayors who faced federal indictments.
Officials report crime in Oak Park is up by a double-digit percentage. But activists from the Revolutionary Oak Park Youth Action League claim residents want to defund the police. When given the chance to vote, though, more than two-thirds voted "No."
The non-binding, advisory referendum was called for by Oak Park village trustee Dan Moroney. He wanted to disprove the activists’ claims of public support.
"I think it sends an overwhelming message that oak park residents are not in favor of slogan-based policy making," Moroney said.
In three other suburban communities, voters appeared to ignore allegations of corruption.
South suburban Crestwood’s mayor, Lou Presta, easily won a third term, despite facing a seven-count federal indictment. It includes charges related to bribes paid by a red light camera company.
In north suburban Lake County, a challenger to two-term Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher says Urlacher will likely win a third-term. That’s despite him having been indicted on felony counts related to a multi-million dollar, illegal gambling conspiracy. A brother of Chicago Bears Hall-of-Famer Brian Urlacher, he was pardoned by President Donald Trump just hours before Trump left office.
Until then, Urlacher had not filed to run and missed the deadline for a spot on the ballot. He waged a write-in campaign. Final vote totals may not be posted until next week, but challenger Jess Ray, himself a former mayor of Mettawa, told FOX 32 News that Urlacher will likely win.
Urlacher did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
In the southwest suburbs, Lyons Mayor Chris Getty won 69.8 percent of the vote. Federal agents who raided Getty’s public and private offices are reported to be investigating him for alleged corruption. Getty's father went to prison for stealing from the village several decades ago.
Chris Getty has not been charged with any crime. He boasted that he won his fourth term as mayor of Lyons without any presence online or on social media. Getty told SuburbanChicagoland.com that he prefers to communicate with voters "face to face."