LaMore tops Gesky for Manteno mayor

MANTENO – Manteno residents voted for change on Tuesday in the municipal election as Manteno Freedom Party mayoral candidate Annette LaMore defeated Joel Gesky, a village trustee and Manteno Choice Party candidate, 1,536-1,231.

LaMore, a one-time village trustee, won 55.5% of the vote. She will replace longtime Mayor Tim Nugent, who decided not to seek re-election.

“I’m happy. I’m very happy,” said LaMore at the Freedom Party’s gathering at the American Legion. “It feels good to have so many people that believe in me, but now I have to make sure I do what I’m supposed to do. I’ve got to live up to what they think I can do.

“So there will be challenges for me, but I’m an honest person, and when I don’t know the answers, I’ll talk to people who are smarter than me, and I’ll put it together with the board and we will work it out.”

Gesky, who has been a village trustee for 18 of the past 20 years, said the party gave it their best shot.

“We ran a classy campaign, and you just have to let the chips fall where they may,” he said.

It was a good day for the Freedom Party as two trustees – Peggy Vaughn and either Paul Motel or Michael Barry – will also sit on the village board. Only one vote separates Motel and Barry, and the winner will likely be determined once all mail-in ballots are counted.

LaMore, who served as a village trustee from 2009-13, said people see her as a real person. She said Gesky and the Manteno Choice Party’s support of the Gotion lithium battery plant, that is opening soon, hurt their cause.

“I just want what’s best for Manteno, and I don’t see chemicals and Chinese Communists as a good thing for our town,” LaMore said. “I had my own feelings about it, and I think that did divide the community, but now we found out that most people feel the same way I do.”

LaMore also said the results show that people were ready for a change of leadership.

“You can tell [Tuesday] night people are so happy,” she said. “I know I’ve got a busy road ahead of me, challenges, and I’m going to face them one day at a time.”

There were some personal attacks on social media the past two weeks against LaMore, saying she was responsible for the Manteno Golf Course closing in 2021. She was on the golf board but left as president in 2019.

“That hurt them,” she said. “Who does that? Do good people do that? No, not in my world. They were hoping that would stick, and that people would believe that so it would be less votes for me.

“That’s pretty dirty, because I’ve been nothing but a good volunteer. I don’t need to be paid for helping do things that I believe in, and I was passionate about the golf course.”

Gesky still has two years left on his trustee term.

“I guess they want me to be a decision-maker instead of a leader, so that’s good,” he said.