Newcomer unseats 12-year incumbent for Sycamore school board

SYCAMORE – One newcomer has unseated a 12-year incumbent to nab a spot on the Sycamore School District 427 school board, if unofficial election results hold.

With six candidates but only one contested race, most people seeking a seat on the Sycamore school board were guaranteed a spot, though three waited for results to come in Tuesday.

Those three candidates – incumbent and current board president Michael DeVito, incumbent Eric Jones who’s been on the board for 12 years, and newcomer Jonathan “Cole” Regnery – all sought two open seats representing Sycamore Township. Sycamore School District 427 rules prohibit more than two board members from residing in the same township.

With all precincts reporting, DeVito was the top vote-getter in the contested Sycamore Township seat with 1,610 votes, according to the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. Regnery won the other Sycamore Township seat with 1,432 votes, unseating Jones who garnered 1,164 votes, according to unofficial vote tallies.

DeVito, who’s been board president since mid-2024, said he’s honored and grateful for the support.

“The role is really like a team effort, and I’m proud to serve alongside dedicated board members, staff and families who are committed to the success of every student in Sycamore,” DeVito said. “I look forward to building on the work we’ve started and hopefully we can all collectively advance our shared goals.”

Regnery said Wednesday was a great day, and thanked Sycamore voters.

“I’m looking forward to making good on the promises I had to increase communication, collaboration and transparency and to help deliver a comprehensive financial plan,” Regnery said.

It appears the board’s election residency rule will remain in place, according to unofficial results. An Election Day referendum asked Sycamore voters if they wanted to abolish the residential restrictions for school board seats: 1,216 voters, or 54% said no. About 45%, or 1,024 voters, said yes. It’s the second time since November the referendum has failed to garner enough voter support.

A day after the election and now facing an exit from school board, Jones shared his thoughts on an unsuccessful reelection campaign.

“Having the opportunity to serve the district’s staff, families and residents for the last 12 years has been the highlight of my time as a member of this community,” Jones said.

Despite the loss, Jones said he still wants to see the next iteration of the Sycamore school board succeed.

DeVito works as an insurance broker for MyInsuranceGuy and is also an adjunct instructor of management, finance and accounting courses at Kishwaukee College in Malta. Jones works as a financial advisor with Baird Private Wealth Management and Regnery is a math professor at Rock Valley College.

Heather Tomlinson and Alan Zantout, both of Cortland Township, also seats on the board though their races were uncontested. It will be Tomlinson’s first stint on the school board. Zantout was appointed to the board in 2024 after longtime board president Jim Dombek died.

Tomlinson brought in 1,150 votes, and Zantout 1,299 votes.

Now unofficially elected to her first term on the board of education, Tomlinson expressed gratitude to those who voted for her.

She said she wants to increase the community’s engagement with the school board.

“I’ve already got a couple of ideas on how we can make meetings more accessible to parents,” Tomlinson said. “I’d like to talk to the board more about that and see what we can come up with.”

Christian Copple, appointed to the board in June 2023 when a seat was left vacant after not enough people ran in the 2023 consolidated election, is expected to win an uncontested race for a two-year unexpired term. He had 1,797 votes.

The school district race saw a 15% voter turnout, with 3,045 ballots cast, according to the clerk’s office.

Mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday also will need to be counted before election results are finalized.

This story was updated at 9:19 p.m., at 11:55 p.m. on April 1, 2025 and again at 6:49 on April 2, 2025.