According to preliminary results, 3,139 of the nearly 5,000 votes cast on the referendum — about 63% — supported the extension, while 1,827 opposed it. The measure was placed on the ballot by the village board in August through a resolution that argued maintaining experienced leadership ensures "efficient and stable municipal management."

Ryan, who is currently serving his third term, would have been barred from seeking reelection under the previous limit. With the change, he is now eligible to run again in 2029 and serve another four years if victorious. The mayor, who has faced scrutiny amid a federal investigation into contractors tied to the municipal government, supported the extension.

"The voters have spoken definitively," Ryan said in a statement. "Their mandate establishes this new standard based on the verifiable stability, management and over $500 million in economic development our administration has facilitated here since I was elected in 2017. We will continue focusing on growth that benefits every single resident and local institution in Alsip."

The outcome carries a dose of political irony. In 2016, Ryan — then a village trustee — championed the original three-term limit as a way to check the power of his rival, then-Mayor Patrick Kitching. Kitching vetoed the ballot measure, but the village board overrode the veto, and voters approved the limits with more than 80% support. At the time, Ryan accused Kitching of obstructing voters' rights, saying, "Just let the voters decide."

Kitching had argued that local officials, unlike federal or state lawmakers, should be allowed to grow into their roles and that term limits could deprive communities of experienced leadership.

Alsip was not alone in weighing municipal term limits this election. Voters in several other Chicago suburbs approved their own measures, most of them tightening restrictions rather than loosening them:

- In Calumet Park, a referendum passed with 90% support, imposing a limit of three consecutive four-year terms for municipal officeholders, applied prospectively. - Crestwood voters approved a similar three-term limit with 91% in favor, beginning at the next municipal election. - Highland Park backed a stricter measure with 75% support, capping municipal elected officials at two full four-year terms per office, whether or not those terms were served consecutively. - Markham passed a two-term limit with 92% support, starting with the next local election. - Niles approved a 16-year term limit for trustees with 68% of the vote.

Other suburbs, including Skokie and Tinley Park, already have term limits in place. Most major U.S. cities except Chicago impose term limits on their mayors.

The Alsip measure's passage means Ryan could extend a tenure that has drawn both economic development claims and controversy. A federal investigation has focused in part on contractors involved with the village government, and Ryan has drawn attention in recent years for other issues, including a proposed pay raise for himself and connections to red-light camera contracting. Critics questioned why a mayor under scrutiny would support loosening the very limits he once fought to impose.

For now, the referendum result stands as a clear directive from Alsip voters — one that Ryan says validates his administration's record and gives him room to continue his agenda.