Neville not upset over election loss

For the second time in six years, James Neville lost a Baxter Estates village election on Tuesday to a write-in candidate. But this time, he wasn't disappointed.

Neville, an attorney, said he only ran for trustee this year to support Mayor Frederick Nicholson -- who was re-elected Tuesday in a landslide.

Like Nicholson, Neville ran a write-in campaign. Unlike Nicholson, who beat another write-in contender, 92-2, Neville fell short by a mere three votes to two other write-in candidates.

"That's democracy at work," Neville said yesterday. "That's fine with me."

Write-in candidacies have become a tradition in the small Gold Coast village. In 2005, Neville earned a place in local political history when he was the only candidate for mayor on the ballot, but lost to write-in candidate John Maher.

Nicholson was first elected mayor as a write-in candidate in 2007.

In fact, every vote cast Tuesday in Baxter Estates was of the write-in variety. No names appeared on the ballot -- because no candidates filed on time.

Voters didn't hold that against Nicholson and incumbent Trustee Charles Comer, both of whom retained their seats. Nora Haagenson won the other trustee seat.

Comer received 86 votes and Haagenson got 57 votes -- three more than Neville, who remains a village justice. He would have had to give up that post if he joined the village board.