UPDATE March 20, 2015 / Early voting begins March 23 the day before the first of two Naperville Area Homeowner Confederation forums featuring 19 candidates vying to fill eight available seat on City Council. Educated voters can select up to eight choices.
The NAHC presents 10 Candidates of 20 for City Council 7-9PM Tues., March 24, in City Council Chambers. (10 names remained after drawing during the December NAHC meeting: Bill Eagan, Becky Anderson, Patty Gustin, Wayne Floegel, Dick Furstenau, Dave Wentz, Tom O’Hale, Steve Peterson, Stephen Purduski and Kevin Gallaher.)
Two evenings later, the confederation presents nine Candidates of 20 for City Council 7-9PM Thurs., March 26, in City Council Chambers. (10 names were drawn during the December NAHC meeting: Joe McElroy, Kevin Coyne, (Note: Jimmy Bergeron, previously listed as a suspended candidate, will be on the ballot. Yet, as of the March 17 City Council meeting, he is no longer a candidate.), Rebecca Boyd-Obarski, Judith Brodhead, John Krummen, Bob Hajek, Paul Hinterlong, John Colletti and Nancy Mariello.)
NAHC Candidate Forums are broadcast live on Naperville’s Government Access Station WCNC (Channel 6 WOW, Channel 10 Comcast, and Channel 99 AT&T) and streamed live on the City’s website, http://www.naperville.il.us/. Forums also will be replayed on WCNC prior to the elections.
The schedule for replays of all 2015 forums, including those for the Park District, Indian Prairie School District 204, and the Mayor of Naperville can be found at http://www.naperville.il.us/emplibrary/WCNCMonthlySchedule.pdf.
Click to replays of the forums & candidate Q&A from this website
To make it as easy as a click, the Positively Naperville Meet & Greet the Candidates online page also features links to all the streaming forums to date.
In addition, the Daily Herald now features 2015 Election endorsements and Q&A at www.dailyherald/election.com.
Thanks for being an informed voter by April 7. If still not decided on up to eight candidates, perhaps wait until both City Council forums are finished before voting early.
UPDATE Jan. 18, 2015 / Meet & Greet events are posted on the Positively Naperville Election & Voter’s Guide. The first all-candidate reception is slated for 6-9PM Thurs, Jan. 22, at Hotel Arista in CityGate Centre, hosted by the Naperville Professional Firefighters.
UPDATE Dec. 8, 2014 / Today the number of candidates seeking to serve on the Naperville City Council was reduced to 24.
During this morning’s proceedings of the Municipal Officers Electoral Board, three objections to the candidacy of Matt Dubiel for Mayor were met with recesses and deliberation among members and the objectors, and the hearing was adjourned at 11:18AM with one less candidate for Mayor. In the absence of Dubiel’s attendance and legal representation, the three-member panel —A. George Pradel, Mayor; Pamela LaFeber, Ph.D., City Clerk; and Grant Wehrli, Councilman—voted unanimously to reject his candidacy by way of default and lack of city residency.
Three mayoral candidates in attendance, Steve Chirico, Doug Krause and Marty Walker, were not surprised with the outcome that was pretty much in line with expectations from a candidacy that did not meet residency requirements or voter registration qualifications.
In the end, four candidates will appear on the Consolidated Election ballot for Mayor on April 7, 2015. With four candidates running for Naperville Mayor, a February Primary Election no longer will be required. Now all 20 candidates for Naperville City Councilmen and four candidates for Naperville Mayor will have a clear shot during the Consolidated Election cycle from now through April 7, 2015.
Naperville Mayoral Candidates
(Voters will select one candidate to serve as Naperville Mayor.)
And a little more history regarding this election…
UPDATE Dec. 5, 2014 / Matt Dubiel has released the following statement in regard to his candidacy for Mayor of Naperville:
“It was with the best of intentions that I entered into the race for mayor of Naperville: to seek to better the lives of all residents of our community. I am truly humbled by the support of my family, friends and the community at large.
“As you may know, my candidacy for this office has been the subject of legal challenges based upon a ‘residency requirement.’ While my family’s connection to the City of Naperville and its surrounding environs is real and genuine, I have been advised by my attorney that a legal loophole prevents me from ultimately remaining on the ballot.
“Therefore, I intend to formally withdraw my candidacy for mayor of Naperville.”
The Electoral Board still will meet as scheduled at 9:30AM Mon., Dec. 8, 2014, in order to accept the withdrawal according to Illinois state code.
UPDATE Dec. 4, 2014 / On Dec. 3 a lottery was held in City Council Chambers to determine ballot order for the Municipal Election on April 7, 2015.
The results of the drawing are as follows:
Naperville City Council
(Voters will select eight from the field of 20.)
Naperville Mayor
(Voters will select one candidate to serve as Naperville Mayor.)
Municipal Officers Electoral Board Hearing
In addition, by the time the lottery was held on Dec. 3, three objections had been raised regarding the nominating petitions for one of the five hopefuls who filed to run for Naperville mayor. Five qualified candidates for mayor would require a Consolidated Primary Election on Feb. 24, 2015.
At 9:30AM Dec. 8, those three objections are expected to go before a hearing of the Municipal Officers Electoral Board comprised of A. George Pradel, Mayor; Pamela LaFeber, Ph.D., City Clerk; and Grant Wehrli, Councilman.
According to the City’s website, “The Municipal Officers Electoral Board shall meet on December 8, 2014, at 9:30AM at the City Council Chambers, Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street, Naperville, IL 60540.”
Note also that the hearing will be broadcast live on government access TV station WCNC (Ch. 6 – WOW, Ch. 10 – Comcast, Ch. 99 – AT&T) and streamed live via the City’s website at www.naperville.il.us.
The electoral board will evaluate the objections and render a determination as to their merits. The public and media are welcome to attend this proceeding.
If no final determination is made by the electoral board on Dec. 8, the hearing will be continued at 9:30AM Tues., Dec. 9, in Council Chambers of the Naperville Municipal Center.
UPDATE Dec. 1, 2014 / From the City Clerk’s Office: The lottery to determine ballot order of Mayor and City Council candidates who simultaneously filed petitions to run in the 2015 Consolidated Election will take place at 4PM on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in City Council Chambers of the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St. The lottery viewing is open to the public and candidates are not required to attend.
The order of filing determines the position of a candidate’s name on the ballot. All petitions that were filed by people waiting in line at the City Clerk’s office at or before 9AM on Monday, November 17 – the first day to file candidacy papers – and after 4PM on Monday, November 24 – the last day to file candidacy papers – were considered simultaneously filed. Because two or more individuals were in line filing papers for the same office on those dates and times, the City Clerk will determine the order of candidates’ names on the ballot via a lottery.
Any petitions that were submitted after 9AM on November 17 and before 4PM on November 24 will be on the ballot in the order they were received.
Original Post Nov. 24, 2014 / When the City Clerks’s office closed its window at 5PM Nov. 24, one additional candidate had filed for Mayor and another five individuals had turned in petitions to run for City Council for a total of 25 names that could appear on the ballot in the Consolidated Election on April 7, 2014.
As City Manager Doug Krieger explained, all candidates who filed between 4 and 5PM on Nov. 24 will be eligible for the lottery to be listed last on the ballot. Readers may recall that every hopeful in line by 9AM Nov. 17 is eligible for the lottery for placement at the top of the ballot.
Matthew J. Dubiel put his name on the list to run for Mayor, becoming the fifth candidate, which means that if all candidates qualify, a Primary Election will be held on February 24, 2015.
For City Councilman, Stephen M. Purduski turned his packet in at 11:43AM, followed by Rebecca Boyd-Obarski at 12:28PM. During the final hour, Steve Peterson, Kevin Gallaher and Becky Anderson Wilkins also filed, all of whom will be eligible for the lottery. Twenty candidates for City Council fall short of the requirements to hold a Primary.
Names listed below appear as the candidates will be printed on the ballot, not in ballot order. PN has a policy of not identifying incumbents after the filing period begins. PN also does not endorse candidates. Any list of candidates going forward will be all inclusive after filing.
Candidates for Mayor
Candidates for mayor are Steve Chirico, Douglas P “Doug” Krause, James Haselhorst, Marty Walker and Matthew J. Dubiel.
Candidates for City Council
Candidates for City Council are Robert Hajek, Richard “Dick” Furstenau, H. Thomas O’Hale, James “Jimmy” Bergeron, Joe McElroy, Patricia “Patty” Gustin, Wayne Floegel, John Krummen, Paul Hinterlong, David G. Wentz, Judith Brodhead, Nancy J. Marinello, Bill Eagan, Kevin Coyne. John J. Colletti, Stephen M. Purduski, Rebecca Boyd-Obarski, Steve Peterson, Kevin Gallaher and Becky Anderson Wilkins.
Open Seats
All nine City Council seats are up for non-partisan election, including the mayor.
To qualify to serve on the Naperville City Council, every candidate must be a registered voter of the City of Naperville and have resided within the corporate limits of the City for at least one year.
After 20 years of enthusiastic service, Mayor A. George Pradel will retire in the spring. His four-year seat is open on the Naperville City Council.
Now that Councilman Grant Wehrli has been elected to serve as a State Representative in Springfield, Councilman Bob Fieseler chose not to file for re-election and both Councilman Doug Krause and Councilman Steve Chirico have filed to run for Mayor, four (4) City Council of the eight (8) seats up for election are empty.
All eight City Council positions are up for election in 2015 due to the decision made by voters in 2013 to retain the existing “at-large” system of Council representation. This action reversed a 2010 referendum question that called for the establishment of districts by 2015.
To reiterate, in 2015, each voter will be able to select eight at-large City Council representatives in addition to voting for the Mayor.
However, not all City Council hopefuls will be elected to four-year terms. The length of Council terms will be decided by the total number of votes received. In 2015, the four Council candidates who receive the most votes will serve four-year terms and these seats will be up for election again in 2019. The next four individuals to receive the most votes will serve two-year terms. In 2017, the seats of the individuals who served two-year terms will be up for election as a four-year term. These actions are necessary to once again stagger Council terms and have half of the Council ( four members) elected every two years.
The Mayoral seat remains a four-year term.
Next Step
Nominating petitions will go through the approval process. Dec. 30, 2014, is the last day to file objections to nominating petitions filed for the April 7, 2015 Consolidated Election.
In addition, candidates for local school boards in District 203 and 203 as well as the Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners soon will be filing petitions for the spring election. The official filing dates are Monday through Friday, Dec. 15-19 and Monday, Dec. 22, 2014.
