Czerwinski, Richards vie for St. Francis mayoral seat

Incumbent Al Richards and challenger James Czerwinski will square off for St. Francis mayor, while newcomers Sue Bostedt and Steven Wattawa will battle for the 1st District aldermanic seat in the April 1 general election.

The mayoral vote, according to unofficial results Feb. 19:

Al Richards (i), 1,243, 46%

James Czerwinski, 744, 27%

David Sopolinski, 724, 27%

The 1st District Common Council vote, according to unofficial results Feb. 19:

Sue Bostedt, 238, 39%

Steven Wattawa, 209, 34%

Dennis Lillrose (i), 162, 26%

Election results remain unofficial until they are certified by the board of canvassers, which met at 11 a.m. Feb. 20.

Voter turnout was 51.9 percent. Among all three districts, 2,945 voters made it to the polls.

Mayoral race

Czerwinski, 45, said despite cold weather, he was able to introduce himself to many residents by campaigning door to door.

"I'm glad to be in the race and we'll see where it goes," he said.

Richards, 65, vies for his second term as mayor.

"I went door to door talking to people," Richards said. "I spent a lot of time knocking on doors."

Common Council race

Lillrose, an alderman for 16 years, will not be advancing to the general election.

"People for (Sen. Barack) Obama are looking for change," Lillrose said. "I don't think I've done a bad job, but there are signs for change."

Wattawa, 42, agreed, saying many residents told him they want something different.

"We'll see what tomorrow brings," he said.

Bostedt, 46, said if elected she will work to improve relations between city officials and the School Board.

All candidates said the election was a friendly one, and that when it came to campaigning, the only thing that could have been better was the weather.

The annual salary for the part-time mayor is $8,175. Common Council members are paid $5,129 per year. The mayor and aldermen serve four-year terms.

Chantel Balzell can be reached at (262) 446-6602.