Wayne Jett declares victory for McHenry mayor

Election Day votes are still being tallied, but McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett appears to be coasting toward this third term in office.

Jett declared victory at about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday at The Vixen in downtown McHenry. Jett was leading with about 74% of the vote, to 26% for his challenger, 4th Ward Alderwoman Chris Bassi in unofficial results.

[ Photos: Jett, supporters, celebrate the outcome of the election ]

With volunteers and interns spread out at the polls, Jett said he was confident in the numbers based on exit polling and canvassing before the election, and the unofficial results showed the wide margin he had in early results never wavered.

Down the ballot, the candidates Jett endorsed appear to be pulling ahead.

In Ward 1, Bobbi Baehne and Mark Seaquist are battling for the seat Victor Santi held for 20 years. The longtime alderman chose not to run for a sixth term. Baehne, who was backed by Jett, was leading by a margin of only 20 votes, with some mail-in and provisional ballots yet to be counted.

Frank McClatchey is seeking to retain his seat as the Ward 3 alderman, up against Steve Doherty. In total, McClatchey has served four terms on the Council, but his first win was in 1983. His terms “were scattered all over the place,” he said Tuesday night. By the end of the night, Doherty was ahead by 44 votes.

Ward 5 Alderman Andy Davis, appointed to the seat in May following the resignation of Shawn Strach, appeared to be holding onto the spot against against Christopher Moore. With about three-quarters of the vote counted, Davis was leading with 73% of the vote over Moore, a Landmark School parent who said he was encouraged to run for City Council by current alderpersons.

The results of Tuesday’s election in McHenry may be a referendum on Jett’s leadership too. He endorsed Baehne, Doherty and Davis.

“It would be great to have that support, to continue to do the things we have done and a collaborative effort to get things done with more transparency,” Jett said.

Regardless of the outcome of the mayoral race, Bassi retains the seat on the McHenry City Council. She was elected to the role in 2023.