Write-in candidate wins seat on Island Lake board, edging out ex-chief

A write-in candidate has won a seat on Island Lake's village board, revised vote totals show.

Chris Carlsen received 195 votes in the McHenry County portion of the village in last weeks election, according to new - but unofficial - data on the county clerk's website.

Carlsen also received 21 votes in the Lake County portion of the village, giving him 216 total - enough to take the third of the three seats on the ballot.

Carlsen defeated former Island Lake police chief and former trustee Anthony Sciarrone for the post. Sciarrone received 190 votes.

The other winners in the trustee race were newcomer Richard W. McLaughlin Jr. and incumbent Will Ziegler, unofficial results show.

The two county clerks' offices legally had until 14 days after the election to tally write-in votes in this race and others. Lake County released its totals last week.

Carlsen, who owns a restaurant in Island Lake and also is a professional pipe fitter, thanked his wife and supporters in a statement Monday.

"It is not easy to win as a write-in," he said. "It takes a community!"

Sciarrone, a longtime police officer, served on the village board from 2013 to 2015, resigning when he was hired as Island Lake's police chief.

He was fired as chief in October after a village-ordered investigation into how he ran the department.

Sciarrone hasn't responded to repeated interview requests.