February 26, 2025
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Keast ousts Schore in Bourbonnais mayoral primary

Faces Zinnani in April election

By Jeff Bonty
Bourbonnais Mayor Paul Schore speaks during the Bourbonnais village board meeting on Oct. 7, 2024.

Bourbonnais Mayor Paul Schore speaks during the Bourbonnais village board meeting on Oct. 7, 2024. Schore was upended in Tuesday's primary election by Trustee Jeff Keast in his quest to gain a fifth mayoral term. (Daily Journal/Tiffany Blanchette)

BOURBONNAIS — The village of Bourbonnais will have a new mayor after the April 1 consolidated general election.

Trustee Jeff Keast soundly defeated four-term incumbent Mayor Paul Schore in Tuesday’s Bourbonnais Citizen’s Party primary race.

Keast has been a trustee for 10 years.

According to unofficial results, Keast finished with 1,061 votes (60.7%) to Schore’s 686 votes (39.3%).

Just 15% of registered voters in Bourbonnais — of which there are 11,057 — voted in the village’s first-ever primary.

“I’m in awe of the moment, but we have another election to campaign for and win,” Keast said. “We have to bring together the Bourbonnais Citizens Party and work to win an election on April 1.”

Keast will face David Zinanni of the People’s Choice Party in the April 1 mayoral election. Zinanni currently is on the Board of Commissioners of the Bourbonnais Township Park District.

Keast’s victory brings to an end Schore’s 28 years of serving as a trustee and mayor, which he did for the past 17 years.

Schore conceded the race at about 8 p.m. Tuesday. At the time he conceded three precincts were still out and he was trailing by about 250 votes at that point.

“The people voted and this is what they wanted,” Schore said.

“I worked to serve the people. I have lived in this village my entire life. I’ve seen this small village grow into something bigger. I was here to serve the village and its constituents,” Schore said.

This is the third time Schore and Keast faced off in the mayoral race.

Schore defeated Keast in the 2017 mayoral election. Keast was already on the board as a trustee. In April 2013, Schore had defeated Keast.

In both previous campaigns, Keast ran as an independent.

Schore said now it is time to get the three incumbent Bourbonnais Citizens Party trustees — Bruce Greenlee, Rick Fischer and Angie Serafini — and incumbent clerk Brian Simeur re-elected.

They are facing challenges from People’s Choice Party candidates Dondi Maricle, Lindsey Patterson and Mark Steelman. Khamseo “Kym” Nelson is the party’s candidate for clerk.

“There is still something left to do. We have to work to get our trustees and clerk re-elected,” Schore said. “These are good, honest people who have integrity.”