HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86 officials often emphasize that it's one united district.
But voting patterns show something else.
As with past elections, Tuesday's indicated different preferences in the Central and South zones. Four seats were available on the seven-member board.
Overall, Mary Satchwell and Liza Mitha prevailed, each getting about 20 percent of the vote.
Bobby Fischer came in third with 19 percent and Baron Leacock fourth with 16 percent. Losing were Andrew Catton and Warren Ali, with 14 percent and 11 percent, respectively, according to unofficial results.
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Only one of the candidates hails from the South zone – Mitha. She ran as a team with Satchwell.
Before her candidacy, Mitha was vocal during board meetings about the disparity in course selection at Central and South. Central, with twice the enrollment and a wealthier student body, offers more courses.
During the campaign, Mitha, a Darien resident and a Cass School District 63 member, downplayed the gap between the schools, saying she opposes changing the boundary between the attendance zones. Such a shift could increase South's enrollment and thus its offerings.
However, residents on the Central side fear their home values would plunge if their properties shifted to the South zone.
Burr Ridge resident Alan Hruby, who has long favored a boundary change, conducted a precinct-by-precinct analysis based on the unofficial results of the school board election.
He found that Mitha won the majority of South precincts, while Satchwell, a Hinsdale resident, took all but one of the rest. In the exception, Catton received two votes to one each for Satchwell and Mitha. It was by far the lowest number of votes in a precinct.
In all, Mitha and Satchwell each got about 22 percent of the South vote, with Leacock at 16 percent, Fischer at 15 percent, Catton at 14 percent and Ali at 10 percent.
In the Central zone, Hinsdale resident Fischer won in the majority of precincts. Satchwell prevailed in about a third, while Mitha took a couple. Catton won one. Leacock and Ali did not win any, according to Hruby's analysis.
Overall, Fischer prevailed with 21 percent in the Central zone, followed by Satchwell and Mitha at 19 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Leacock was at 16 percent, Catton at 13 percent and Ali at 12 percent.
In 2023, Hruby said the voting differences reflected "historic tribalism."