Harvey mayor cruises, Lynwood board tossed; After sex tape, school leaders ousted

Scandals were at the heart of two south suburban races, but theyplayed out in different ways Tuesday night.

In Harvey, Mayor Eric Kellogg was cruising to re-election despitea city deficit of nearly $5 million and allegations of cronyism andcorruption.

In Lynwood -- where a graphic video of the school principalhaving sex with a married teacher was made public last week -- allthree school board members lost their bids for re-election.

Harvey

Kellogg received 43.45 percent of the vote with more than 80percent of precincts reporting, despite a near-daily drumbeat ofalleged police corruption, questionable city jobs and contractshanded to family members and friends.

One of the most damning allegations against Kellogg is that heordered a former Harvey police detective to return a gun being heldas evidence to the stepfather of the suspect. Kellogg is a longtimefriend of the stepfather.

Kellogg dismissed the charges Tuesday night: "I thank the greatcitizens of Harvey who were intelligent enough to look past theinaccurate news stories that assassinated my character."

Kellogg's closest challenger, Brenda L. Thompson, netted morethan 22 percent of the vote. "It means Harvey is going to lose,"Thompson said of Kellogg's re-election to a second term. "We'regoing to see the same old thing. It'll be a sad day for Harvey."

LYNWOOD

After last week's revelation of an embarrassing sex tapeinvolving Sandridge School Principal Leroy Coleman and two femalestaff members, District 172 school board members were ousted infavor of four newcomers. Businesswoman Doranita Malcom-Tyler, whoran with the three incumbents, also lost.

Malcom-Tyler said it was "obvious" the tape was released toderail the elections.

Coleman and the two staffers, who have since resigned, areAfrican-American, as are Malcom-Tyler and the incumbents. None ofthe newly elected board members is African-American. "It did seemlike it was us against them," Malcom-Tyler said, alluding to whatshe says are racial overtones surrounding the sex tape andelections.

Newly elected board member Kevin Pisano, 34, denied that raceplayed a part and dismissed speculation that the sex tape alteredthe outcome of the election. "They [the community] asked me to run,and they voted for me," said the father of four, who garnered themost votes -- 15.06 percent -- from the tiny district's fiveprecincts. "The community has been upset with the previous boardmembers for some time. The voters voiced their opinion."

Country Club Hills

Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch weathered shiftingdemographics and allegations of racism to decisively win a sixthterm. Welch garnered just under 70 percent of the vote with allprecincts reporting. His closest challenger, 4th Ward Ald. StevenBurris, netted 26.3 percent. Parks Commissioner Michael Holmes got4.01 percent.

"They're getting schooled by the master tonight," Welch said fromhis victory party.

Country Club Hills was a racially mixed community when Welch, whois white, took office in 1987, but African Americans now constitutemore than 80 percent of the population. Burris and Holmes, who areAfrican-American, campaigned on this shift.

bgoldberger@suntimes.com

rhussain@suntimes.com