After months of legal battles with the city council, court hearings, legal fees, campaigning, mayoral announcements and interviews, Daniel Bovey’s greenhouse debacle opened doors he never imagined  –  including a mayoral position in a town he loves.

Earlier this month, West Chicago held its mayoral election alongside elections for alderman and library board. For the first time in 13 years, West Chicago elected a new mayor: Daniel Bovey, a longtime resident, father, husband and pastor at a local church.

According to unofficial results from the DuPage County Election Commission, Bovey earned 1,539 votes — defeating incumbent Ruben Pineda (939) and challenger Joseph Sheehan (479). A total of 2,957 votes were cast in the mayoral race.

Now, as mayor, Bovey says he feels the weight of the city on his shoulders.

“The people of West Chicago have put a lot of trust in me, and that feels like a big responsibility,” Bovey said.

Bovey’s focus throughout his campaign was community connection and downtown revitalization. Now, he is excited to bring people together and listen to what they need.

“I really want to see the city come together now and work together to make the changes that the people of West Chicago have asked for,” Bovey said.

In past mayoral elections, voter turnout has been relatively low. This year, however, approximately 3,000 votes were cast — nearly three times more than in the last election.

Historically, districts with higher Latino populations have seen lower turnout, often due to feelings of political disengagement or doubt that individual votes would make a difference. As a result, districts such as 3 and 6 have received less attention in past races.

This year, however, no districts reported low turnout. In previous elections, turnout hovered around 7%, but this year, it reached 22% of the city’s population.

“They just smashed those numbers in terms of turnout,” Bovey said.

Bovey also expressed appreciation that younger residents turned out to vote. While some may see local elections as less significant, Bovey believes they are essential.

“These local elections, in some sense, are kind of the heart of what our democracy is all about,” he said.

His priorities throughout his campaign will transfer into his mayoral position, revitalizing downtown West Chicago and community engagement as his number one priority. Listening to what the people need is crucial to Bovey.

Bovey will be officially sworn in as mayor of West Chicago on May 5 during a public ceremony at City Hall. Though he acknowledges some nerves stepping into the role, his theme for the term is simple: “Make things happen,” Bovey said.

In addition to the mayoral race, voters selected candidates for the library board. According to local reporting, Rebecca Finch, Kristina Cavataio, and Melissa Wonderly secured seats.

For the Community High School District 94 Board of Education, the top four vote-getters were incumbent Tammie Murphy, Katherine Doremus, Catalina Chavez, and Rich Nagel. Longtime board member Gary Saake fell short, marking a notable change in the board’s makeup.