Two incumbents are headed back to the Heartland Community College Board of Trustees, along with one newcomer, following Tuesday's election.
Current vice chair Janet Hood and board member Thomas Whitt successfully defended their seats, according to preliminary election results late Tuesday. Newcomer Laurie Bergner won the third available seat. They are all set to serve six-year terms.
That means the fourth candidate, David Selzer, came up short in his bid for a board seat.
Hood won 28.5% of the vote across the five Heartland counties — DeWitt, McLean, Logan, Livingston, Tazewell — and the City of Bloomington. She was the top vote-getter. In addition to serving on Heartland’s board, Hood is a housing navigator with Mid Central Community Action in Bloomington.
Selzer received the lowest share of votes [21.6%], trailing Whitt by just 244 votes, according to preliminary results. Whitt was first elected to the board in 2019. Whitt lists himself as a CT technologist with OSF HealthCare on his LinkedIn.
Selzer is a former Republican McLean County Board member who served two terms. This was Selzer’s second time running for a seat on the Heartland board. He also ran unsuccessfully in 2023, though he has been active with at least one Heartland committee in the interim.
One fresh face set to join the board is Bergner, a psychotherapist in Bloomington who garnered around 28% of votes across all districts. She is an active community member, with roles in multiple McLean County organizations, including the League of Women Voters and the Immigration Project.
