Above / Every local election is one for the books as voters look toward our city’s future. For nearly 100 years, little ones have enjoyed Winnie-the-Pooh. Cheers to the next century, too! Thanks for reading. And thanks to everyone who participated in this local election where every vote matters.
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.
Note: At this time, all race results are deemed “unofficial” until every vote is tallied, including valid provisional ballots from Election Day and Vote-by-Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, April 2, 2019. Then 21 calendar days after an Election, the results are canvassed and become official.
Click DuPage County and Will County to find the 2019 Consolidated Election results for Naperville, Illinois.
Original Post, April 2, 2019 / OK. We’d be foolish to ignore mentioning the Consolidated Election scheduled for April 2. By now you’ve become familiar with the candidates and the issues — and you’ve determined that your choices are familiar with the procedures of the local governing bodies on which they wish to serve.
Since January, countless “Meet & Greet” opportunities have been planned and 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 for a reasonable admission charge, they welcome prospective voters to attend to ask questions.
The get-acquainted events with candidates are chances to socialize with other interested residents and determine whether or not you’d like to support the candidates with additional funds. It’s no secret campaigns cost money. Voter support helps underwrite printed mailers, yard signs, websites, advertising and other items necessary to get the word out for many happy returns after the polls close on Election Day. It can be enlightening and disheartening to be part of the process.
As an independent business owner and avowed capitalist (rich mostly in can-do spirit), it’s also enlightening to recognize the impact local elections have on the hospitality industry as well as other businesses that thrive during campaign season.
Consider professional graphic designers who add creativity to mailers, posters, yard signs and websites. Then there are buys for print ads in newspapers and digital ads for cable TV and other websites that create commissions for ad reps.
Additional food and beverages are consumed at local restaurants, raising revenue for city coffers. Extra service staff and kitchen help are arranged. Paper suppliers supply. Robo callers call. Delivery services deliver. The USPS mails. The list of unintended benefits goes on and on.
It’s a joy to watch the invisible hand of the free market at work for the benefit of so many local businesses and others beyond our borders!
Too many public forums in 2019
Throughout February and March, at least 16 different candidate forums for this election cycle were posted on a designated page at www.positivelynaperville.com. We always aim to get to know candidates, wondering how they will represent us as policy wonks and budget approvers.
We attended most of the candidate forums and meet & greets, observing that sometimes not all candidates were in attendance. Job responsibilities, family matters and other commitments understandably prevented perfect attendance at forums for the Mayor, City Council, D203 and D204 forums I attended.
In addition, some of the early-scheduled candidate meet & greet events were canceled when organizations later picked the same date for a public forum. Every candidate I encountered tried hard not to create conflicts, but agreed the forum schedule was excessive.
In my way of thinking, conflicts could be resolved for future elections if forum organizers collaborate efforts well in advance and join forces to help give every forum more value with less repetition.
Our city’s elected officials are volunteers. They have jobs. They have families. If we’re not careful, the demands of campaigning will discourage qualified individuals from running to serve.
Electioneering techniques certainly changed this year. Sometimes cheap shots and screen shots circulated via social media to besmear candidates ended up in my email. First time ever.
Nonetheless, we hope traditional grassroots activities and the facts about good policies will send voters to the polls.
Finally, thanks to all 31 candidates who threw their hats in the ring eager to serve Naperville City Council, D203 and D204 Boards of Education, Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners and College of DuPage Board of Trustees.
Our community needs qualified individuals to serve us. We’ll get there. It’s only April, the fourth month. No foolin’.
