On April 1, Homewood and Flossmoor registered voters had the opportunity to vote in their respective local elections. Ultimately, the Homewood election ended in a 74% victory for longtime Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld over resident Brady Chalmers, and the Flossmoor election resulted in a close win for incumbent mayor Michelle Nelson over challenger Joni Bradley-Scott, 54.29% to 45.71%.
Officials serve four-year terms, with the next election happening in 2028. Hofeld, who has been serving since 1997, was challenged for the first time since 2009 by Resident Brady Chalmers, who hoped to bring a new generation of leadership to the town.
Chalmers gained political experience in multiple facets, including working on the Obama campaign in 2008 and again in 2012, as well as Governor JB Pritzker’s inaugural campaign. “Then, I spent a half-decade working for Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle in various capacities. I also served as Chief of Staff to the 5th District of the Cook County Board of Commissioners,” Chalmers shared.
Chalmers’s top priority was creating public spaces and nurturing community.
“My vision for Homewood is one where the community regularly gathers, new businesses thrive and our youth actively drives us toward the future. I use the word community a lot because that’s my priority, and my vision involves young people being central to how this community operates and who it serves,” said Chalmers.
Hofeld’s campaign was built on continuing the mission he’s had for years: fiscal responsibility and business growth. “Homewood’s reputation of being a business friendly community along with the downtown events for residents is something I think is important to carry into this term,” said Hofeld.
The Flossmoor election was a tight race between Nelson and Bradley-Scott.
Bradley-Scott has served Flossmoor since 2017, when she was appointed as a village clerk. She was then elected as a trustee in 2019 and reelected in 2021.
During her campaign, she publicly criticized the decisions of the current local government, stating that their focus should be shifted to an increased look at community participation.
“I think one of the important factors about economic development is taking the pulse of the community to get more engagement of the businesses that the community would like to be here and they would be willing to support,” Bradley-Scott shared with the H-F Chronicle.
Hofeld believes that Homewood’s reputation as a business-friendly community has been integral to keeping the public’s interest in him.
“What we’ve accomplished with the choice of restaurants and businesses in town continuing to grow, with examples like Ollie’s and an incoming Raising Cane’s, gets the people excited. I love what we’ve been doing,” Hofeld shared.
