Valley View School Board Election: Will Falese or Olson Nab Fourth Seat?

With absentee votes still uncounted and official election results not to be released until the end of the month, some uncertainty remains over who nabbed the fourth seat on the Valley View School District 365U school board. 

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Only 109 votes separated newcomers Daniel Falese and Jaime Olson in the election. With four school board seats available, Falese received the fourth-most votes with 2,485. Olson was a close fifth with 2,376. Incumbent Ronnie Bull received just 94 fewer votes than Olson, with 2,282. 

Falese and Bull were both endorsed by Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar and was a member of the "Friends of Valley View" slate, along with Chrystal Hansen, Ronnie Bull and Deborah Sykora. Hansen and Sykora both secured school board seats. 

Olson was not endorsed by Claar and said she ran a grassroots campaign. 

Could Olson have received at least 110 more votes than Falese in absentee, provisional and grace period ballots? It's unlikely, said both candidates. 

Falese said he is waiting for all votes to be certified before saying anything is official, "but (he is) confident that (Tuesday's) results are accurate and are a true reflection of how the official results will report," Falese wrote in an e-mail to Patch.

Olson said that whatever happens, she wants her supporters to know that "this is just the beginning." 

"If a miracle occurs and the absentee votes are in my favor, I will eagerly take my position on the Board and strive to improve the Valley View School District," Olson wrote in an e-mail. "If the absentee votes yield more of the same, you can count on me to run again in 2015."

Olson said she was "touched and a bit overwhelmed" by the number of people who supported her.

"Unlike other candidates, I did not have the name recognition/benefits of incumbency, a bevy of volunteers to place signs or distribute flyers on my behalf, or the widely publicized support of Mayor Claar and the Bolingbrook First Party/Award Winning Slate," she wrote.   

"Instead, mine was a grassroots campaign which consisted of relying on my laurels, ideas, and my fabulous husband, Joe Giamanco, for support. I am honored by those who supported my platform and got out the vote on my behalf. I could not have done so well without them."

Falese said he was "very happy and excited" about the results of Tuesday's election. 

"I am anxious and excited to be working with administrative and faculty professionals that will continue to strive to make Valley View one of the best educational choices for the families of the District."

Patch will post the official school board election results once they are available.