No Changing of the Guard in Plainfield: Voters Re-Elect Incumbents to Village Board

Four familiar faces will return to Village Hall this spring.

With little new blood on the ballot — only one challenger faced off against the three incumbent trustees — voters re-elected Margie Bonuchi, Garrett Peck and Jim Racich, according to unofficial election results.

Meanwhile, Mayor Mike Collins officially ran unopposed after an election challenge knocked Michael Lambert off the ballot. Lambert ran as a write-in candidate, but couldn’t garner enough votes to unseat Collins, a veteran of the Illinois State Police and U.S. Air Force.

"I'm feeling just excited," Collins said at a post-election gathering at HopScotch & Vine in downtown Plainfield. "Myself and my supporters really wanted to make a statement about the job myself and the trustees are doing."

Collins said he believes the election results show that residents support the current board's efforts. "I think it's evident," he said. "I'm really pleased with it."

Naperville firefighter Mark Allan Chmura ran against the three incumbent trustees. Another potential challenger, Plainfield developer Mike Guinta, withdrew from the race in January after facing an objection to his election petitions.

Chmura, who serves as vice president of the Champion Creek Homeowners Association, also sought a village board seat in 2011. 

Peck’s re-election came after an unsuccessful bid for the Illinois Senate last fall. "It's an absolute honor to be re-elected," he said. "It's a wonderful team."

Bonuchi, Plainfield School District 202’s technology director, was first elected to the board in 2009.

"I am happy because not only are we back together as a team with the mayor," Bonuchi said, but also because the Plainfield Township Republican slate had similar success on the ballot. "We are big-time happy," she said. 

Racich, a former high school and community college teacher, has served on the board since 2005.

"I'm ecstatic over the whole election," he said. "It's just a lot of support from the Village of Plainfield. It's a good, solid board that works together."

All vote totals are unofficial until canvassing of votes is completed and absentee, provisional and grace-period ballots are counted later this month.

Unofficial Plainfield-area election results from Will and Kendall counties.

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