Above / On Feb. 7, 2019, the Naperville Professional Firefighters hosted an engaging Meet & Greet for candidates running in the nonpartisan 2019 Consolidated Election to serve on City Council. The mixer held at Empire Burger Bar provided a casual time for individuals seeking public office to become acquainted with members of the Naperville Fire Department as well as officials from the City of Naperville in advance of the spring election.
Now is the time for voters to visit candidate websites and to become familiar with the issues presented at public forums. Perhaps there’s still time to arrange a coffee for a candidate or join the spirit of the campaign for a hopeful you support.
Update, Feb. 7, 2020 / Voter Guide for 2020 Primary Election
Update, Jan. 18, 2020 / This page has been visited frequently during the first few weeks of January 2020. Unfortunately, candidates running for the Primary are not yet posted/confirmed on a ballot. That information will not be available until Feb. 6, 2020, or 40 days prior to the election as established by the State of Illinois.
Meanwhile, candidates have been sending their Meet & Greet events for February. Local opportunities to engage with candidates who wish to serve Naperville in Washington, Springfield, DuPage County and Will County will be posted at no charge on a special Meet & Greet the Candidates page.
Thanks to all candidates that have inquired about political advertising rates for PN’s print publication.
The Meet & Greet the Candidates page for the 2020 Primary Election will be posted soon!
Voters in DuPage and Will counties may find more info about voter registration and early voting at:
Update, April 3, 2019 / On Tues., April 2, Naperville voters returned incumbents Mayor Steve Chirico, Paul Hinterlong and Patty Gustin to City Council. Newcomers Patrick Kelly and Theresa Sullivan were elected to serve four-year seats on City Council.
Voters in School District 203 elected two incumbents Janet Yang Rohr and Kristine Gericke and first-time candidate Joseph Kosminski to serve four-year terms on the Board of Education.
In School District 204, all three incumbents, Natasha Grover, Mark Rising and Justin Karubas, were re-elected to four years.
Annette Corrigan of Wheaton and Maureen Dunn of Naperville were elected to serve on the College of DuPage Board of Trustees.
Voters in Naperville Township voted against a binding referendum to merge road districts in Naperville and Lisle townships.
The opportunity to serve one of three 4-year seats on the Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners was without competition. Incumbents Rich Janor and Marie Todd will be joined by newcomer Josh McBroom.
Click DuPage County and Will County to find the 2019 Consolidated Election results for Naperville, Illinois.
Early Voting began Mon., March 18, 2019
Early Voting for DuPage County and Will County began at 8:30AM Mon., March 18, at the Naperville Municipal Center. 400 S. Eagle Street. Follow signs with directions inside the building.
DuPage County early voting will take place in Meeting Room A from 8:30AM to 7:30PM weekdays, March 18 through Mon., April 1. Saturday hours are 9AM to 5PM. Sunday hours are 10AM to 4PM.
Will County early voting will take place in the City Clerk’s Office through Sun., March 31. Hours are 8:30AM to 4:30PM, weekdays, March 18 to 22; 9AM to Noon, Sat., March 23; 10AM to 4PM Sun., March 24; 8:30AM to 7PM, weekedays, March 25 to 29; 8:30AM to 2PM, Sat., March 30; and 10AM to 4PM Sun., March 31.
Other DuPage County Early Voting locations are Olive Trees Condominiums, Clubhouse, 200 E. Bailey; and the Fox Valley Mall, 195 Fox Valley Center Dr. Enter the northwest entrance #1 between the former Macy’s & Carson’s.
Yes, Naperville! There is an election on April 2…
Get to know 31 candidates running in the Consolidated Election on Tues., April 2, 2019. That important date is when the local electorate will vote for Naperville Mayor and City Council, District 203 and District 204 school boards and Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners.
In addition, folks in Community College District #502, including Naperville, will vote for two six-year term College Trustee positions that are open on the College of DuPage Board of Trustees, located in Glen Ellyn.
A question also will be on the ballot, seeking voter “yes” or “no” input.
Shall the Road District of Naperville Township be abolished with all the rights, powers, duties, assets, property, liabilities, obligations, and responsibilities being assumed the Naperville Township?
For now, we encourage voters to get to know the candidates running to serve you.
Considering all four contests on the ballot, every Naperville voter who resides in School District 203 has 26 choices. Every Naperville voter in School District 204 has 25 choices.
For the second consecutive Consolidated Election only three candidates are running to serve three spots on the Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners, so no contest there. Still, we urge constituents to get to know them.
Polls open from 6AM to 7PM on Election Day, Tues., April 2, 2019.
Unless voters know absolutely, positively that they will be unavailable to vote on Election Day, April 2, 2019, PN editors urge voters to take the time during the weeks of Early Voting to get to know the candidates well before heading to the polls a few days early or on Election Day. Furthermore, local elections are the most important ones, the ones that elect officials to set public policy and approve local budgets.
Think about it all. Local matters most.
Who’s running?
Municipal Candidates (Above)
City Council candidates for Naperville Mayor are Rocky Caylor (back left) and Steve Chirico (back center). Eleven candidates hope to fill one of four four-year seats for Naperville City Council. Pictured with the mayoral candidates are Paul Hinterlong, Barbara O’Meara, Patrick Kelly, Patty Gustin, Theresa Sullivan, Bradford Miller, Whitney Robbins Michele Clemen and Bruce Hanson. Candidates Joe McElroy and Nancy Turner are not pictured.
City Council Candidates (Below)
School Board Candidates in District 203 (Above)
Six candidates hoping to serve one of three available four-year terms on the School District 203 Board of Education are Cecilia Fox, Kristine M. Gericke, Joseph F. Kozminski, Janet Yang Rohr, Becky Rudolph and Char Lynnette Dalton.
School Board Candidates in District 204 (Above)
Five candidates hoping to serve one of three available four-year terms on the School District 204 Board of Education are Mark Rising, Natasha Grover, Carole M. Jones, Gautam “GB” Bhatia and Justin J. Karubas.
Alert! Feb. 14, 2019, Important FYI: All candidates running in the Consolidated Election as well as voters in School District 204 need to be mindful of proposed developments in Aurora that greatly could impact the schools. On Feb. 13, 2019, District 204 School Board President Mike Raczak addressed the Aurora Planning Commission during the public comment portion of the meeting. Read Raczak’s remarks here.
Update! Feb. 28, 2019, FYI / According to Board President Mike Raczak, on Feb. 27 the Aurora City Council approved the first development in this plan, a senior housing development called Cedarwood, to be built on vacant land at 75th Street and Ogden Avenue. While the board supports the addition of senior housing to the mix of residential options in the community, members have repeatedly expressed concern to the city over the economic incentives offered to the developer. The agreement includes creating a tax increment finance (TIF) district for the development. Doing so precludes the district from receiving any property taxes for the next 23 years beyond the current very low taxes generated from the vacant land assessment.
The City’s Comprehensive Plan for the Route 59 Corridor includes the possibility of creating other TIF districts as incentives for developers. The next one likely to be discussed is a TIF on a residential property that will produce students for our district. If the City continues to create TIF districts, we will receive additional students from developments without adequate funding to support their education. This will have a negative impact on our entire district.
On behalf of the Board of Education, Board Secretary Cathy Piehl addressed City Council to express concerns during the public comment portion of the meeting on Feb. 27, 2019. Read Piehl’s remarks HERE.
Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners
Three candidates vying for three four-year terms on the Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners are incumbents Rich Janor and Marie Todd, and newcomer Josh McBroom. With only three candidates and three seats to fill, for the second Consolidated Election in a row, there will be no contest for the NPD Board of Commissioners.
College of DuPage Board of Trustees
Four candidates are seeking to fill two 6-year terms on the College of DuPage Board of Trustees. Newcomers Annette Corrigan of Wheaton, Marc Incrocci of Darien, Dan Bailey of Wheaton and Maureen Dunne of Naperville will compete for the seats since the two incumbents are not seeking re-election.
Get to know candidates at Meet & Greets / Local matters most
Now is the time to become familiar with all candidates and the issues. Ask why they’re running. And find out what they know about the local governing bodies on which they wish to serve.
“Meet & Greet” opportunities usually are priced by candidates to cover costs of light refreshments, perhaps one drink ticket, and the privacy of room at a restaurant to host the event. Candidates foot the bill and welcome voters to attend and ask questions for an admission charge.
Get acquainted with the candidates, socialize with other interested residents, friends and neighbors; and determine whether or not you’d like to support the candidates with additional funds to help underwrite printed mailers, signs, websites, paid ads and other items necessary to campaign for many happy returns on April 2, 2019. Be part of the process.
Post is updated as requested
This campaign season of “Meet and Greet” events hosted by candidates and their committees began Jan. 7. This page is the second listing featuring “Meet and Greet” events. It’s linked here to the original page that displays the public events since the campaign launched into full swing in January 2019. This page, however, will delete fundaising events after they occur to keep the listing focused on upcoming events only.
We’re reminded again of the words attributed to an ancient Greek philosopher, mindful way back when that one of the most important rights and responsibilities that citizens have is to become involved and choose leaders who will focus on things that are important to them. According to Plato, “One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
—This page originally was posted on Jan. 2, 2019. Reposted with updates March 18, 2019 / Thanks for getting to know the best-qualified candidates during coffees, other meet & greet opportunities and public forums.
How do candidates get posted here?
Candidate websites/events are posted upon request and at no charge on this Meet & Greet page. Requests may made by the candidates or their campaign organizers in our quest to help voters get to know the hopefuls and the issues.
Simply send to Stephanie@positivelynaperville.com. Please include “Candidate Website” in the subject line.
In our opinion, and since social media is member-based and not necessarily available to everyone, a managed website indicates that a candidate is serious about the election.
Thanks for your continued interest and visiting often. From now until mid-March, the calendar is full of open meet & greets as well as public candidate forums. —PN
Final Meet & Greet this campaign season
All local candidates are welcome to send dates to post here that include website addresses for public meet & greets as well as fundraisers. This PN service is free of charge. Please follow the simple format and send info to stephanie@positivelynaperville.com. Thank you.
This listing is now whittled down to show that no public meet & greet submitted to PN is remaining.
(Click here) for schedule of Candidate Forums hosted by various local organizations.
(Click here) to see how very, very busy candidates have been to host events to get to know voters.
Here’s hoping future elections will find organizations collaborating to present better public forums.
Early Voting began Mon., March 18, and runs through Mon., April 1, at the Naperville Municipal Center. Election Day Polls at precincts throughout the city will be open 6AM to 7PM Tuesday, April 2.
Reminder! Candidate websites/events are posted upon request and at no charge on this Meet & Greet page. Requests must be made by the candidates or their campaign organizers in our quest to help voters get to know the hopefuls and the issues. Campaign paid advertising is available in print with digital rates and availability.
In our opinion, and since social media is member-based and not necessarily available to everyone, a managed website indicates that a candidate is serious about the election and serving the community.
Thanks for your interest. —PN
One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. —Plato
Election Day / Polls open 6AM-7PM Tues., April 2
April 2, 2019! Justin Karubas will host candidates, school board members, administrators, teachers and residents for Indian Prairie 204 Election Day Coming Together Party.
- WHERE: Ashbury Clubhouse, Naperville.
- WHEN: Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 6 to 9PM.
- COST: Suggested individual contribution – TBD
- RSVP to karubas@gmail.com.
CLICK HERE FOR SCHEDULE OF CANDIDATE FORUMS (Yes! All caps means we raised our voice!)
Thanks to all voters who take this Consolidated Election to heart! Your informed vote by 7PM Tues., April 2, will be appreciated.
Any misspelled words and info that is not correct are not intended. We appreciate that the candidates and their handlers value this page for promoting their events because they want to get to know their constituents. Thanks for reading.
Last Update / March 21, 2019
