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Former Lake Forest mayor Rummel wins nod in District 12
Mike Rummel
Updated: March 29, 2012 3:39PM
In the battle to be Lake Forest’s Republican candidate for the new Lake County 12th District seat, Mike Rummel was the clear winner in Tuesday’s primary.
With all precincts reporting, Rummel earned 1,775 votes -- a shade over 60 percent -- to Scott Helton’s 1,149 votes.
It was Helton’s second attempt to get elected to a Lake County Board seat and Rummel’s first try.
“Scott and I both ran a great race. We stuck to the issues and didn’t get into dirty politics,” said Rummel, former mayor of Lake Forest, on Tuesday night after 29 of 29 precincts reported him the winner.
Though early voting and provisional ballots were not tabulated, Helton said it would be tough to make up the difference.
“I don’t think we’re going to do it,” Helton said.
This was the second time Helton lost a Lake County Board seat -- by almost exactly the same margins. In March 2006, current District 13 Commissioner Susan Gravenhorst got 60 percent of the votes compared to Helton’s 40 percent. In Tuesday’s voting, Rummel got 61 percent to Helton’s 39 percent.
Since no Democrat has filed for November’s election, the winner of the 12th District seat in the March 20 vote likely will be the next county board member and the first to represent the community in 10 years.
Like Rummel, Helton thinks the two contenders ran a good clean race.
“It was a nice race. We talked about the issues,” Helton said. “There was no negative campaigning. That’s the way it should be.”
The new 12th District extends beyond Lake Forest to include all of Knollwood and portions of Highland Park and Deerfield, including parts of the current District 22, which is represented by Michelle Feldman of Deerfield. Feldman, a Democrat, has not decided if she will seek re-election.
“I’m looking forward to the battle in the fall, even though I don’t know who I’ll be up against,” Rummel said.
