Gary Daggett, who is completing his first term, was reelected to the Flossmoor Board of Trustees with 1,520 votes and will be serving with newly elected trustees Carolyn Rodgers who garnered 1,339 votes and Kevin Dorsey with 1,294 votes.
One seat was open on the board when Trustee Joni Bradley-Scott challenged Mayor Michelle Nelson in her reelection bid. Incumbent Trustee Brian Driscoll lost his bid for another term.
Of the seven candidates in the April 1 municipal race, Driscoll came in fourth with 1,172 votes followed by Troy Holmes with 1,110 votes; Phil Lee, 913 votes; and Belgree Falkner, 536 votes.
Daggett, Dorsey and Rodgers told the Chronicle they will work to help make certain residents’ concerns are heard by the board.
“We have great members of the community. They want to be involved but they want to make sure their voices are heard, that they feel like they’re important members of the community,” Rodgers said.
Dorsey said he’s heard calls for greater transparency over the past several years.
“Truly I think you’re only asking for accountability, and I think we really have an opportunity to do a little healing. There is some divide in our community, and I think I have the skillset and history of bridging those types of divides,” he said.
Daggett said with seven candidates it was a tough race, but he appreciated “everyone ran a very respectful race” as he pointed to the jarring tone among Congressional leaders in Washington.
Daggett will work to establish a Silver Commission. He envisions it as an information hub with a wealth of information on programs and special initiatives that could be of benefit to senior citizens. He said Cook County, township government and Flossmoor have programs, but there’s no one location to go for the information. He said he had several people tell him they’d be willing to serve on the commission.
The three trustees all pointed to the need for more economic development, meeting infrastructure needs and additional policing.
Rodgers said during her election canvassing she met with residents in each Flossmoor neighborhood and learned of their special requests. Now that she’s been elected, Rodgers said she’s focused on “just making sure their voices are heard and that the concerns make it to the board.”